Days Spent Without You
by Names.Of.The.Forgotten
Summary: Bakura keeps track of all the days spent without Marik by his side as Marik leaves for Egypt, although, with his new found feelings, Bakura doesn't know what to do without Marik's obnoxious personality..Thiefshipping-Rated T for language, alcohol suggestions, and details.-Marik is NOT the Yami- (I gained more experience when I hit chapter 4 because I stopped writing for a while...)
1. Confession

**Alright! New story guys, also in Chapters... I hope you guys enjoy my story! Also, there will be Journal entries at the end of every chapter, and during the rest, the main character will do... whatever. XD**

**Enjoy!**

**Uhmm. Bakura may be a little OOC as you read further... idk.. don't yell at me for it XD**

Bakura blinked open his eyes lazily, he lay sprawled over a couch, probably Marik's, and had fallen asleep with the T.V on last night, it was nearly noon, and Marik hadn't shown any signs of being up either, but Bakura figured that he was just sleeping in for once.

He stretched his arms and legs, working out any kinks that happened to find their way in.

He couldn't really remember exactly what happened last night, but he didn't care... well, atleast until he found a note on the coffee table in front of him.

He swatted any beer cans he found on the table, and picked up the note.

_Dear Bakura,_

_I'm sorry about last night, I rented a movie for us to watch, but we never got to it... I knew you wanted to see it, that's why I got it... But then you just _had_ to find alcohol in my fridge... and then you got drunk off your ass._

_Well... Find something for breakfast, I know I don't have much right now, I'm at the store buying food, then I'm going to return the movie... we can watch that some other time... I didn't wake you, because you look cute when you're sleeping, and the fact that you were so frigging tired that you actually fell off the couch... So I put you back where you were..._

_Anyway, I don't know if you're reading this or not, but I wrote this so you won't think I've been kidnapped._

_-Marik Ishtar_

Bakura finished reading the letter and let out a snort of amusement. Falling off the couch? he seriously doubted that, he knew he had a very high alcohol tolerance, so there was no way he could have seriously been that drunk, although, the beer cans that littered the couch and floor said otherwise.

_Hmm... I wonder what time he left..._ he asked himself, and, as if in an answer, there came Marik Ishtar bounding through the door with several bags of food.

_Well... looks like I won't have time to look through his stuff... oh well._

"Well... Look who's finally up. Have a good sleep? You know Bakura... I'm still wondering how in the name of Ra you got in here in the first place..." Marik said. He walked into the kitchen and set the bags he was carrying, on the floor.

"I'm a theif remember?" Bakura smirked.

Marik snorted. "Still, it gives you no right to come in here when I'm half asleep myself." Marik shot back.

Bakura's smirk grew wider. "Really? I didn't know... Marik... What exactly _did_ we do last night?" he asked.

Marik's head shot up in dismay. "Bakura! Why would you think such a thing!? I told you, I'm not GAY!" he shouted.

Bakura just kept on smirking. "Could've fooled me Marik." he told him. "Oh Marik, I hope you know that wasn't what I was implying." he added, before quickly exiting the kitchen to avoid a wrath from Marik.

He flew upstairs when he heard the pounding of angry footsteps, and he quietly slipped into the nearest room.

He heard angry hisses of outrage, but he only smirked at this, He liked teasing Marik, it was fun, and he hated to admit it, but he knew deep down, that Marik was his only friend... and He knew he had some sort of feeling towards the Egyptian that he couldn't seem to place throughout the time they had known eachother.

He sighed at the thought, locked the door, and turned to see which room he was in. He hadn't been in Marik's house before tonight, he had only seen the outside of it when he walked Marik home every now and then.

To Bakura's surprise, he found himself in a bedroom, He knew that it was probably Marik's room, he contimplated the thought of a Guest Bedroom, but that thought quickly dissolved when he saw that there were pictures hanging from the walls. The bed was messy as if someone had gotten out of it not long ago, and the dresser was littered with documents, some more pictures, and, a LOT of sticky notes.

_Hmmm._ Thought Bakura as he flicked on the light. _He sure has a messy room... although, if it were compared to my own, i'd probably win._ He snickered when he made the comparison, and he flopped down on Marik's bed.

There wasn't really much to do in there, and the light wasn't very bright at all, it was dim.

Bakura noticed that it was unusually peaceful in the room. Dim light, No annoying sounds, not even a bang from downstairs.

With the thought of what Marik was doing was brought to his attention, he quickly scrambled out of the bed he was laying on, and got to his feet. Only when there was soft thumps of footsteps coming down the hall, did he start to panic, his head swung from side to side searching for a hiding place that would conseal him.

He then spotted a narrow space behind the dresser, just enough for a person like him to squeeze through.

When the footsteps drew nearer he scrambled towards the dresser and crouched down behind it, but what surprised him even more, was how part of the wall he was leaning on, seemed to give out, and he tumbled backwards.

He pulled himself to his knees, and looked around his new surroundings. He then had noticed that the wall he was leaning on, wasn't actually a wall at all... it was a small door. He rubbed the back of his head where he had hit the back of his head.

Looking around the room once more, he noticed that it was some sort of cave, or a safe place.

Several boxes lay around him, and on the far side of the cave-like area, was yet another door. He didn't know where it led, but he was going to find out. He started crawling on his hands and knees towards the other door, when he heard a loud buzz. Not like an alarm, more like a cell phone ringing.

_Is that me? Ra, please don't let it be me._ he scrambled to reach his pocket for his phone, but he froze in place when a voice from the other side of the wall he had entered from, sounded instead.

"Marik Ishtar." came the voice, it was frighteningly close to the wall, which made Bakura freeze where he was, barely breathing.

"Oh! Ishizu!" Marik cried out in delight. "Ishizu! it's been so long! wh-" he was cut off.

"uhm.." Marik's voice came, less enthusiastic than it was before. Bakura carefully inched closer to Mariks room wall, and placed his ear closer to hear what was being said.

"Ishizu?" Marik's voice became louder to Bakura's ear. "N-no Sis." he murmered softly.

To Bakura's surprise, he had heard a hint of sadness in his voice.

_What's going on? is something wrong?_ he asked himself, then silently cursed when he felt a rock dislodge from underneath him.

"Sis! Please! I don't-" he was cut off again. To Bakura, Marik sounded almost... desperate. But why?

"Alright." came the reply, he heaved a sigh. "Good bye Sis... I'll see you soon then." he added. There was a light click, and Marik hung up the phone.

Bakura sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, but was only a few heart beats.

"Bakura... I know you're in here." Marik said.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. He did now? hmmm.

"Bakura, please, come out of that smelly escape hole. I don't want you to get sick by just being in there." Marik said.

With a small sigh, Bakura heaved himself out of the cave-like entrance, and back into Marik's room.

"When did you notice?" he asked.

Marik shook his head. "Well, you locked my door, made a mess of my blankets, and then left the door to the escape route open... So, I'd say since the moment you left." he replied.

Bakura snorted. "Alright then..." Bakura stood, patted the dust from his knees and exited Marik's room.

Marik followed.

Bakura looked back to find that Marik was staring at him. Was there something wrong with him? he doubted it, he didn't feel like anything was out of place.

Bakura then reached the living room, the T.V was still on, he hadn't turned it off, so he made his way to the couch, picked up the remote, clicked the 'Off' button, and let the remote fall back onto the couch.

Marik hadn't said anything since they left his room, Bakura felt very uneasy at the way Marik was acting, he was usually chatting on about destroying the Pharaoh, or some sort of nonsense that popped into his head.

Bakura, once again, looked back at Marik.

Marik looked right back at him.

Bakura's eye twitched, then he blinked, shoved both of his hands into his pockets and made his way to the front door.

"Well... Guess I'd better be leaving then." he stated, and reached for the door handle.

There was a sudden tug on Bakura's shirt sleeve, and he looked back at Marik yet again.

To Bakura's surprise, he could see tears starting to form in Marik's eyes. _Why's he crying?_ he asked himself.

He repeated his thoughts outloud. "Marik... Why are you crying?" he asked.

Marik shook his head feircely, and when that had no effect, Marik swung his arms around Bakura's waist, and started crying.

Bakura let in a sharp intake of breath. "Marik?" he asked curiously.

Marik looked up at him, his eyes were red around the rims now. "Bakura... I'm gonna miss you.. A lot." he answered.

Bakura's eyes widened. "Miss me? Why?" he asked. _Does Marik like me or something?_ he asked himself.

Marik sighed, and burried his face in the back of Bakura's shirt.

A sharp pain pierced Bakura. _Marik's upset, why does this bother me? _he asked himself, then, to his ultimate surprise, Bakura, in turn, wrapped his own arms around the Egyptian.

Marik held on to Bakura's waist tighter, _Wow... he has one hell of a death grip._ Bakura thought, but he felt himself squeeze Marik closer to him.

They stood there, both holding eachother, Bakura didn't know why, and Marik was upset, having the thought he'd never see Bakura again. However, with Bakura not knowing what was going on, he only had the clue that Marik might be in some sort of trouble.

Bakura slowly slid his arms off of Marik, and unhooked Marik's grip from him.

He held onto the Egyptians hands with surprising tenderness. "Marik." he whispered.

Marik looked up at him, tears dried on his cheeks. For a brief moment, Lavender eyes locked with brown, and both found that neither could look away from the other. "Marik." Bakura repeated. "Why are you upset?" he added.

Marik sniffed, then burried his head back into Bakura's shirt. "Bakura, I have to leave." he said after a few moments.

"Marik, leave _where_." Bakura asked. Marik replied, a little muffled by Bakura's shirt. "Egypt." he said.

A sharp pang hit Bakura with such force he, in a way, stumbled a little. "Egypt?" he asked in disbelief. It was then that he knew, for certain, that the feelings that he'd been experiencing when he was with Marik, were of pure happiness. He was sure that he would never feel that way again, no Joy, no love or caring, nothing, ever since his village way back then, Kul Elna, had been destroyed.

"Marik... Why?" was his only reply. Marik looked up at him, and with a non audible squeak, he had noticed that the Spirit was crying.

"Marik?" Bakura asked again, this time looking down at the Egyptian.

Marik looked away from Bakura's eyes. "T-there's something wrong-at home I mean... a-and we... We have to go back..." Marik stuttered. It certainly didn't feel right, telling Bakura that he had to leave, He wasn't even sure that he would ever see this Spirit again. He hated that thought, and, he realized, that he would do anything, _anything_, to be by the Spirits side.

Marik couldn't help but look up at the Spirit again, Bakura didn't move, nor say a word, but his face said it all, whether Bakura wanted it or not, tears came and slid down the side of his face. _Why? Why am I getting so worked up over this? I-I should be glad I can finally get away from this annoying fool. _The moment he thought that, instant shame hit him like a wave. Never had Marik been so annoying that he left, Never had Bakura actually _wanted_ Marik to leave, and now that it was finally happening, all he wanted to do, was take Marik away with him, and have both forget about the world around them.

With this thought in mind, he realized just how much Marik meant to him, how much it was important to him that he saw Marik often, and how much Bakura truely did love Marik.

Bakura blinked a few times, wondering how long he'd been standing there like an idiot, he looked down at Marik, who was staring up at him. Bakura could help it no longer, he threw his arms around Marik's neck, and burried his face into his hair. Marik let out a startled squeak, but he didn't pull away, he wrapped his arms around Bakura once more, and they both embraced eachother.

Bakura felt more tears trying to force their way out. "Marik... Please, don't go." he croaked into the Egyptians ear.

"I don't want to Bakura... Not ever." was his reply. Bakura smiled at the fact that Marik didn't want to leave either, but knowing Marik's family, Ishizu, or Odion would probably make him go, whether he wanted to or not.

Bakura sighed softly. It was time to admit it, outloud, Since Marik was going away, he had a right to know.

"Marik..." he began. He didn't know how to say it, he was scared that Marik wouldn't want it, he was scared that it would effect their friendship. But then, he realized, if he was going to say it, either way it was going to effect them both somehow.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and, ever so softly, whispered the words that echoed over and over into Marik's ear.

"Marik, I love you."

Bakura felt Marik tense up a little, but, to his surprise, he felt Marik's grip grow even tighter around him.

"I love you too 'Kura." he whispered back.

They stood there, longer this time, neither wanting to let go, but eventually, when there was a loud honk, Marik and Bakura scrambled away from eachother in fear of what might happen if Marik's family found out about their new found feelings.

Marik's eyes widened. "Oh Ra! I forgot to pack!" he exclaimed, and he scrambled up the stairs as quickly as he could.

Bakura could only chuckle, as Marik scrambled up the stairs like a dog. He shook his head, a smile on his face, and went upstairs with Marik to help him.

Marik was all packed, ready within ten minutes, with the help of Bakura at least. For now, Ishizu, and Odion were sitting on the couch talking to eachother, neither knew that Bakura was there at the house with them, and both Bakura and Marik knew that Marik's sister, and brother, hated Bakura to their cores.

Bakura and Marik both stood at the exit to Marik's room, their tears had already dried and faded. They both didn't want to start crying again, incase Ishizu or Odion had overheard and came to check up on their brother.

"You will come back... right?" Bakura asked.

Marik looked at the ground. "I don't know Bakura... I wish I knew for certain." he answered.

Bakura, once again, felt a sharp pang, like someone stabbing him through the back with a hot knife.

He scooped Marik into his arms and held onto him.

"You have to come back... You have to, or I'll be forced to come visit." he replied.

Marik gave a small smile. "I'd like that. A lot." he replied.

Bakura smiled back at the Egyptian, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Marik! What's taking you so long!" Ishizu called up from downstairs. Marik and Bakura looked at eachother once more, a look of love and sadness crossed their faces.

"Coming!" Marik shouted.

"I guess I'm leaving now..." he said to Bakura.

"Mmm."

"Will you take care of my house while I'm gone?"

"Mmm."

"Bakura?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?" Marik asked.

Bakura nodded. "To a point, yes." he replied.

Marik sighed and embraced Bakura one last time, before he made his way down the stairs, out the door, and into the car.

Bakura stared out the window and watched as a moving truck came into view and parked next to the car. Marik shoved his stuff into the back of the moving truck and turned to get into the car.

A sudden thought came to Bakura's mind. He whipped out his phone, and dialed a number, which he didn't realize until now, that he committed to memory.

It rung twice. "Marik Ishtar." came the reply.

Bakura looked out the window, to see Marik standing before the car, a phone clamped to his ear.

"It's me." he said into the phone.

As he looked out the window, he saw a smile flash across Marik's face.

"Can't go five seconds Bakura?" he whispered into the phone.

"Well... yes and no-" he heard a slight giggle from the other end of the phone, and continued. "-My point. Come back inside for a moment... I want to give you something to remember me by." he said, and quickly hung up the phone.

Marik turned and saw Bakura in the window. Bakura looked down at Marik, and a smirk flashed across Bakura's face.

Marik smiled a little, and turned to his sister Ishizu, who was still hauling some of Marik's belongings inside the moving van.

"Ishizu, I forgot something inside, I'll be right back." he told her, and he then raced to his front door, once inside, he slammed it shut.

"Bakura?" he called out.

There was thumping of footsteps as the Spirit made his way down the stairs.

"'Kura, What did you want to give me?" he asked curiously.

Bakura smiled, and handed him a picture frame. It was small, and could easily fit in someones pocket, if that pocket was big enough, and, Marik's pocket was big enough.

"What's this?" Marik asked while staring down at it.

"A picture of us I had." he replied.

Marik stared curiously down at it. "I don't remember this..." he replied, then, a lightblub went off in his head. _Now_ he remembered.

"Oh!" Marik exclaimed. "Is this the picture you took of us when you took me to that mountain path, and try to make me jump off the edge?" he asked.

Bakura laughed. "Well.. Yes, You seemed happy in this photo-" Bakura shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "-I liked it, so I kept it." he added.

Marik looked up. "Why?" he asked.

Bakura shrugged. "I kept it because it reminded me of you,-" he smiled evily. "-And what can happen when my plans go wrong."

Marik looked confused for a moment, and Bakura shook his head, and wrapped his arms around Marik in a hug.

"Well... I guess since you gave me something, I have to give something to you." Marik replied after a moment.

Bakura shook his head and let go of Marik. "No, you don't have to. I have your house after all." he said, a smirk growing.

Marik laughed, then reached around his own neck, unclipped something, set it in Bakura's hand, and closed Bakura's hand over it.

There was a loud honk, and Marik instantly shoved the picture into his pocket, gave Bakura a quick kiss on the cheek, and raced out the door.

Bakura stood there a moment, and sighed. The boy he had just admitted he had loved to his face, was now leaving to his home country. Egypt. A flicker of dispair crossed his face when he realized that this could be good-bye for them both.

Yet, even as he thought this, he doubted it. Marik still had his house, still had his magazines, books and what not still scattered about, so he knew that Marik would come back in time. Whether to pick the rest of it up, or come back for good was beyond him, he just knew that Marik was coming back one way or another.

He looked out the window again, expecting to see Marik and the moving van, but they were both long gone.

Bakura felt a wave of sadness pass over him, and he sunk to the ground. a few minutes later, his eyes popped open, he had only just remembered that he hadn't seen what Marik gave to him.

When he opened his hand, he nearly cried.

It was the necklace he had given Marik, it was technically meant as a joke, the necklaces' base opens up, he knew. He remembered smearing something foul in it, and giving it to Marik as a present for his birthday.

A cruel joke, he knew, but looking back, he couldn't really stop himself from laughing a little when he remembered Marik's face, and how he had run to the bathroom.

Holding such a thing meant more to him than he realized. It didn't smell foul like it had back then, and when he opened it, he found that Marik had washed away the foul smell, and replaced it with a picture of Bakura.

This almost killed him to tears. _Did- Did Marik like me before? Why would he do such a thing? do I mean that much to him?_ he wondered.

He smiled at the thought, and put the necklace, that still smelled like Marik, around his own neck.

When he did so, he felt a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest, something that had never happened before, and kind of startled him, but he grew used to it as the hours went by.

He rummaged through Marik's belongings, knowing that now he could do so without the Egyptian screaming at him.

He found an empty notebook that lay in a pile under Marik's bed, apparently forgotten.

It wasn't like any regular notebook that one would see in stores. This notebook had a special hint to it, like it was meant to be used for something, but was forgotten about.

It was about a year old, Bakura realized. Then a new thought came to his mind, he smiled a little.

He scrambled down the stairs, notebook in hand, and grabbed a nearby pen, sat at the table and began to write.

_**Day 1**_

_** Well, Marik, you just left. It wasn't exactly something I really want to talk about, and when you come back, I never want to have that happen again. You know, it's crazy, me admitting that I love you that easily. It's not generally something that I would say... It's not exactly... normal for me either. I'm so used to hating everything, dispising everyone, and everything... But, today, I think you changed me. **_

_** Knowing what I know now, I realized that I had that feeling since the moment we first met, I know I really couldn't place it at first, it made me curious to know what it was. And today, I found that out. **_

_** Marik, I have a lot of questions for when you get back, and I hope that you will get to read each and every entry that I make, From Day 1 to Day-whatever. I really don't know when you're coming back, but I hope it's real soon. I may not know exactly what's happening over there in Egypt, but I know that everything will be alright, no matter what. **_

_** I look forward to the day you return, so that I can tell you I love you again. Realizing what impact you had on me, changed me more than I had ever thought possible. Now, all I want to do is hold you and never let you go, Now, without you, all I want to do is cry. Now, I know, that you mean more to me than I've ever thought possible.**_

_** Marik Ishtar, you changed me, I'm happy now, knowing that you love me too. And, if you don't come back, I swear to Ra that I'll find you, and be with you. Now, I realize, that YOU'RE my home. You always were, and you always will be.**_

_**~P.S.- This is weird... I want to tell you all of this, and now I feel stupid... It's out of character, and I hate that. Marik, You did this to me, you changed me this much. And now, the thoughts that are running through my head are the words 'How' and 'Why'.**_

_**~Bakura**_


	2. Dream

**Sorry guys for the long wait... I have another story out that I updated a few days ago, I've become increasingly busy, and I find myself putting aside my work just to finish a chapter... Don't worry, I still get the work done, but I end up staying up later than I should.**

**ANYWAY, hope that the few viewers that actually read this story enjoy this chapter.**

**If it weren't for you viewers I probably would have discontinued this story... Remember, please review if you have any comments, questions or suggestions for me **

**~Enjoy ^^**

Bakura lay in bed, covers strewn about. He stared up at the ceiling, and wondered what kind of things might happen when Marik returned.

What if Marik met someone in Egypt? What if he were happier with them instead? Would Marik intentionally leave him hanging?

Bakura shook these thoughts from his head, He didn't know why, but the bronze Egyptian never left his head, he wanted to at least think that Marik was only at the store, but the necklace that he had put on the previous day reminded him of the true story.

Bakura let out a small sigh and slid out of his bed, a few blankets followed him and fell on the floor, but he didn't care. Blankets were the least of his concerns right now.

Bakura slowly, and stiffly got to his feet and made his way down the stairs. He took a step into the exceedingly small kitchen and brewed himself a cup of coffee, he hadn't really tried the stuff before, but he knew that Marik fell in love with it the first time he tried it, so he thought he might give it a shot himself instead of just making his tea.

He took a tiny sip of the black coffee, and, to his surprise, he enjoyed it. Marik had always put cream and sugar in his, but Bakura found plain coffee better tasting.

He was about to take another sip when a barely audible knock sounded at Marik's door.

Bakura was glad that he paid close attention to everything, out of habit of course.

He set down his mug of coffee, and dragged his feet over to the door, he hated answering the door and seeing someone who wasn't of any interest to him, but he knew he would, _but only because I told Marik that I would take care of the house and answer the door even if it was someone who was unimportant._ Marik had a habit of answering the door at any time, no matter who it was.

He grabbed the door handle and pulled, and the door slowly creaked open.

"Who is it?"

When Bakura opened the door fully, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Great. What can I help you guys with today?" His voice dripping with sarcasm.

A small spiky haired boy, a blond guy, a guy with weird brown hair, and a brunette all stood on Marik's stoop.

"Bakura? What are you doing here?" The spiky haired boy asked.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Look Yugi, I'm not going to answer all of your stupid questions. What do you need?" he said impatiently.

They all looked at each other for a moment, then, "We need to talk to Marik."

Bakura snorted. "I wish I could too, but guess what? I can't. So do me a favor and get out of here before I rip all of your heads off." he stated rather annoyed.

"Marik's not here? Where'd he go?"

Bakura glared, "Joey, that's none of your business. I suggest highly that you all leave now."

Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Tea all looked at each other, while Bakura tapped his foot in annoyance.

"Bakura, Please, we just-"

"LEAVE!" Bakura shouted, before he turned and slammed the door on all four of their faces.

He stomped over to the kitchen, grabbed the mug of coffee he had made, and plopped down on the couch in front of the T.V in the living room.

A small sigh escaped him. _I wish Marik were here... It's so quiet, it'll be hard to get used to without that idiot here..._ he thought.

True Bakura did love Marik very much, but that didn't mean that he didn't think the blond was annoying.

He flipped on the T.V and surfed through all the channels. Seeing nothing that he liked was on, he turned the T.V back off and rested his head on the back of the sofa, cup still in hand.

He sighed contentedly and tried giving in to a small nap, it worked, if not for a short while until he felt something warm on his chest. He cracked open his eyes and looked down, he growled in frustration as he had seen that he spilt coffee all over his shirt.

"Fuck."

He jumped to his feet and set his cup on the counter, he then swiftly ran upstairs to take a shower.

Bakura got out of the shower and towel dried his hair, it irritated him that his hair was completely flat after every shower, and he hated the thought of looking like Ryou the whole day, people might get the wrong idea.

He quickly dressed and made his way down the stairs, only to stop half way when he heard the phone, it was already on the answering machine, and bakura decided to listen in to see who called.

"-Ok, I mean, I really hate for you to not be ok-" came the voice, and Bakura instantly knew that it was Marik on the other line, and he raced towards the machine only to find the phone missing from the receiver.

"Well, if you're gone then i hope you call me back, you should have my number on the fridge-" Bakura looked around for the phone, he ran to the couch and looked under the pillows, he even looked under the couch.

"Oh, and Bakura... I wanted you to know..." This made Bakura freeze, was it something bad? he didn't sound very happy? was he ok?

"...As far as I know I'm gonna be here a while longer, it looks like. I'll try to convince sis to let me come back soon, but it's doubtful, she's in a very grumpy mood."

Bakura sighed and closed his eyes, he really did hope that Marik would hurry up, it was painful, to him, to be sitting there everyday knowing that he wasn't there, as strange as it may seem.

"Well, Call me back, bye Bakura." and the phone hung up.

He closed his eyes trying to picture the Egyptian in his mind, hoping that he wasn't too upset that Bakura couldn't answer, and Bakura _did_ have a few things to tell Marik, but he lost the chance.

He growled silently to himself, and stomped up the stairs to his bedroom in hopes of trying to take a _proper_ nap this time, and he climbed into his bed and squeezed his eyes shut, still clearly mad at himself.

_"Bakura? are you alright?" came a very familiar voice. Bakura looked around, but he saw no one there, he didn't really recognize the voice either._

_"God Damn it Bakura!" Bakura looked around 'who the bloody hell is calling my name?' he thought. Then it came again, this time louder and clearer. "BAKURA TOUZOKU TALK TO ME DAMN IT!"_

_Bakura whirled around every which way. "WHAT!" he growled._

_"BAKURAAAAAAAAAAAA!" came the voice._

_'What the bloody hell!? If I can't talk to it, then how in the name of the Gods am I supposed to answer!?' _

_He crossed his arms, he was clearly going to blow a fuse if something progressively did not happen. _

_"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!" Bakura screamed to no one in particular._

_At that moment, it did seem that Bakura was answered, but it was clear that he wasn't._

_"Bakura..." came the voice, this time, the voice pushed him from the blackness and into a seemingly familiar prison. It brought back old memories, some that he thought would never be brought back again._

_"Bakura? Please, I just want to talk to you." came the voice again. This time, something snapped inside of Bakura, like a forgotten memory he just remembered. It was Marik, only when he was littler._

_'But I haven't met Marik before have I? I've never seen him until just days before Battle City...' he thought. _

_He sighed and looked at the ground, but then his breathing hitched when he realized that he was a spirit that looked _exactly _like his original body._

_'could this be? when I was a spirit...' he thought._

_"M-Marik?" he tentatively spoke, unsure if he would get an answer. He didn't really remember this part of his memory, it was vague, like a memory partially gone._

_"Bakura!" came the reply, and before Bakura knew it, Marik was on top of him hugging and holding on tightly._

_"Bakura! You scared me! Please don't leave me alone like that again! I can't be here by myself... it's scary." Marik cried, and he wept into the spirits shirt. _

_Bakura, unfamiliar with this memory and what he actually did, just patted Marik on the back, and whispered every now and then that he was sorry._

_Marik sniffed and looked up into Bakura's eyes. _

_"Bakura..." Marik started, sounding a bit lost._

_"Yes?"_

_"Will I ever see you again? I mean, I know you're gonna leave tonight... But I have to know... Will you at least visit me?" he asked._

_"Erm.." _

_"Puh-lease!" Marik pleaded._

_Bakura had to admit, he would be crazy _not_ to come back, this Marik was so cute, and his personality as a little kid matched the personality Marik had now._

_"We'll see. I'm not entirely sure I'll be coming back this way, but if I do, I'll try to stop by." he said._

_Marik smiled a little, he wasn't completely happy with it, but it satisfied him._

_Marik stood up, and Bakura did as well. Bakura towered over Marik, but this didn't seem to bother Marik much._

_Marik crawled up Bakura's leg, and, with the help of Bakura, Marik was able to hug Bakura, wrapping both of his tiny arms around the thiefs shoulders and burrying his face into Bakura's neck._

_"I'll miss you." he mumbled._

_"I promise I won't forget you." he replied._

_The thief felt Marik smile into his neck, "Thank you." he softly breathed._

_This made Bakura smile, and Bakura moved to set the small Marik down, but not before Marik quickly kissed him on the cheek and ran away._

_Bakura blinked a few times, and then he saw a shadow rise from the ground. It looked like Marik, but with spiky hair._

_"You can't have him." came an eerie voice, and that was when Bakura was engulfed by the shadow, suffocating, and struggling to breathe._

Bakura sat up startled, his heart was racing and he was sweating. As he looked around the room, his pulse slowed down to a steady rhythm.

He looked around for the phone, but then he remembered that he had lost it.

He needed to call Marik. Badly. If only he could find the phone before the afternoon...

"You know what, Screw it."

he picked up the notebook he had written in the previous day, and began writing in it.

_Day 2_

_Marik, Yugi and the rest of the geeks stopped by today, they were looking for you... I don't know why, but anyway..._

_I had a.. dream. It kinda scared me, I'm not sure exactly what it meant..._

_But, do you remember, when you were little? to me, it felt like a memory... of when I was a spirit. My old body._

_Do you remember someone with a scar under their right eye? had white hair like mine? If you do... that might have been me... i'm.. not sure, exactly what to do about that.._

_I hope that it was just a crazy dream._

_Oh, and I've been going crazy with the phone... I can't find it! when you called the first time, I've been looking everywhere and I still can't find it. I want to call you and tell you stuff, and I really do wish I took the time to get a cell phone, even though I hate those infernal things, I can't help but need one because it would be easier to carry it around._

_You know what. Tomorrow I'm gonna get one, regardless if I find your phone or not. I just want to talk to you._

_Anyway, this is short I know. Nothing much happened today, but I hope that at least _something_ will happen while you're away. You know... I don't think I've left your house once yet. Creepy._

_Well, I hope to see you soon._

_~Bakura_

**Was it too long? if not, yay, if so... sorry. Well, until next time! well... maybe in a few weeks or so? I'm going back and forth between two houses for a few weeks, so I don't know if I'll actually have the time to get this out before Halloween... If I do, Yay! If not... until November?**

**Anyway, Bye! see you next time!**

**~N.O.T.F**


	3. Disaster

**In this chapter, I have decided to add a Marik POV, since it's only fair :P**

**YAY, I got it before Halloween! **

**hmm... Maybe review? Come on people, we all know that I need reviews if I'm to keep writing this story...**

**Anyway... Hopefully I wont be too busy these few weeks... **

**And Bakura will probably be OOC... depends. Uhm, Enjoy?**

**Marik POV**

"Marik! Wake up!" Ishizu yelled.

Marik moaned in protest and dragged a pillow from under his head and smashed it into his face.

"I'm busy." he mumbled, not caring whether Ishizu heard him or not, and with that, rolled over.

There were stomps, then Ishizu had entered his room, of course, there were no doors in this tomb, so it wasn't as if she could knock.

"I said get up brother!" she moaned.

"mmmnnnuh."

Ishizu placed her hands on her hips, "Brother. This is a warning. Get up now if you don't want to get hurt." she said impatiently.

Marik simply ignored her.

"Go away." he replied.

She huffed, "ODION!" she shouted down the hall. Marik still didn't move. He'd never really been woken up by Odion before, and normally they wouldn't have to wake him up at all, but the night before, he'd been up worrying about Bakura and how he was handling things. Therefore, he hadn't gone to sleep until about 4 am.

Soon there were light footsteps, and a deeper voice sounded. "Yes Ishizu?" he asked.

Ishizu sighed. "Odion.. Do you think you could get Marik up for me while I make lunch?" she asked politely.

There was no response, but Marik figured that his brother had agreed, because he always did what Ishizu asked him to do; effectively nonetheless.

Steps shuffled towards his bed, Marik didn't move.

"Marik? can you wake up?" he asked politely, Marik still didn't move.

"Marik?" he asked again, Marik _still_ didn't move or reply.

There was a sigh, and before Marik knew it, Odion had plucked the pillow from his face, grabbed his blanket and pulled; this caused Marik to tumble off his bed, and hit the floor.

Marik's eyes were fully open now, and he lay sprawled out on the floor moaning in pain while he rubbed his backside.

"Odion!" Marik complained, looking up at him.

Odion looked down at Marik and shrugged, "Ishizu requested that you-"

"Yeah, I heard!" Marik shouted.

Odion, once again, sighed and stepped out of the room.

Marik moaned and flopped back down.

"Marik! are you up yet!?" Ishizu shouted.

"YES! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" he shouted.

Ishizu gave a reply but Marik didn't hear, for he snatched up the pillow and wrapped it around his head.

A few minutes later, a sigh was heard and Odion had entered his room again.

"Marik, if you won't get up, at least eat something... if you don't you might die of starvation." Odion said.

Odion walked across the room, and removed the pillow from his face.

Marik sighed and took the plate from his brother; he mumbled his thanks and started picking at the bread, eggs and waffles on his plate.

Odion simply smiled at him, and exited the room, but about two seconds later, Ishizu entered.

"Brother, you have an email from one of your friends." she murmured, and set the laptop down in front of him.

He was still getting used to all the technology, and the fact that he had a computer at his house helped him a little, although Bakura had to help him at times when he got frustrated.

"I wasn't aware you had a laptop sis..." he mumbled around his piece of bread.

She smiled at him, "Yes, I just got one yesterday. I thought that may help you to stay connected to your friends you had to leave behind in Japan." she replied.

Marik smiled, _Wait! this means I can email Bakura and chat with him that way! Maybe then I could actually talk to him!_ he thought.

He instantly set his plate aside and began opening his email account.

_45 new messages_ the screen read.

Marik rolled his eyes, and scrolled through them.

"Junk, Junk, Junk, Oh! An ad for my special shampoo product! I'll keep that... Junk, Junk, an email from Yugi?" he wondered.

He clicked it and went over the message, nothing really of importance to him, so he deleted that as well.

"Now, for that email to Bakura..." he clicked on _New message_.

"Hmm." he thought. "What should I say?" he wondered.

He typed in the email address, to him, Marik was rather shocked that Bakura had chosen such a... odd email.

He typed in, _bakurafluffytouzokuthewhite _

Marik wondered why Bakura had chosen that as his email, but he quickly shrugged the thought away, it was semi-normal to his, which, Bakura had made a remark about.

He shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to write the message:

_Hey Bakura! I wasn't sure if you were at your house or mine, I keep calling my house and you don't answer... so I take it that you're at your home. Anyway, you better be checking up on my house, I don't want anything to smell funny, and you better be cleaning after yourself because I don't want to come home to a mess._

_Anyway, how_

He stopped typing. There was a noise, and he wasn't sure what.

"Ishizu?" he called out.

"Stay in your room Marik!" she shouted back.

This only made his curiosity grow stronger; the noise repeated, it sounded really loud and close-like air rushing past his ear, but there was nothing next to him.

He slowly got up and peered outside when he heard wailing.

"Ishizu!? please! let me out!" he spat, he would leave, but when he had tried to go into the hallway, something was blocking the entrance.

"..." he waited for a response.

All of a sudden, there was a big crashing noise, and then, before he knew it, the area around the entrance had exploded and he was thrown backward at the force of energy that spread throughout his room.

"ISHIZU! ODION!" he screamed.

Fire. Screams. Smoke. He gaged and his eyes stung from the smoke that entered his room.

The laptop lay temporarily forgotten on the floor, the screen started to blink- black, then to the normal screen, then black again- on, off, on, off...

Marik stared at the screen, he felt all of his energy drain away from him, and all the while not even moving, then he felt his eyes roll into the back of his head, and he collapsed into a heap on the floor, struggling for air- but there was none, only black smoke surrounded him.

_This is it... I'm going to die... and I'll never get to say 'I love you' to Bakura, or see his face ever again..._

With that last thought, he closed his eyes, a tear rolling down his face before he finally gave into the blanket of darkness that caressed him so.

**Bakura POV**

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." he moaned on the couch, flipping through random channels on the T.V.

"Why can't there be a decent-" he was cut off by the phone ringing, thinking it was Marik, he made a move to pick it up, only to remember that he had lost it.

He sighed and waited for the answering machine to sound-it did.

"Bakura... I know you're there... please pick up." a voice sounded, to Bakura's surprise, it wasn't Marik at all. It was Yugi on the other line- or the Pharaoh, because his voice was deeper and older sounding. This made Bakura happy that he didn't answer.

"Fine Bakura, but I really suggest that you turn on channel 4... the news channel... I'm sorry- I- I don't think that... well, just turn it on, you'll see what I mean." With that, the Pharaoh hung up.

Bakura groaned, he didn't feel like it, but a small voice inside himself told him that it was important, otherwise Yugi wouldn't have bothered calling in the first place.

Bakura flipped through different channels until he found channel 4. Two people were talking to each other- typical, no one ever shuts up.

But what really peaked Bakura's interest was the picture in the corner above one of the speakers.

It was of Egypt.

Bakura turned up the volume to hear what they were saying.

"-Well Miki, In my opinion they very well could be." a man was saying.

The woman whom he was talking to shook her head quickly. "It seems about 70% possible they are indeed dead, but still, what about that 30%? Firefighters are on the scene now pulling out all the passengers-dead or alive-from the plane.

Witnesses say that the plane that had crashed had crashed near the Cairo Egypt area. So far, there have been no surviv- Oh! news update!" the woman then turned the news to the man.

He nodded, "Nearby witnesses say that there was a type of tomb where the plane crashed, they have already found 2 people, apparently a family had lived there-"

Bakura was now in front of the T.V, nose to screen, staring at them.

"Oh Gods... It's not Marik is it? please, don't let it be..." he murmured.

"-so far a woman and man have been recovered, the woman claims her brother is still in the tomb, so firefighters are currently scouring the debris to find him, other than that, there have been no survivors from the plane." he finished.

The woman nodded sadly. "We'll give updates on the progression of the missing teen and the passengers from the plane." she added.

Bakura then turned and raced out the door. It was time he got an actual phone and called Marik. Whether the boy the news was talking about was about Marik or someone else, he wasn't sure, but he had to try. To see if Marik was actually alright.

Bakura was now at Marik's house again. He had bought one of the expensive phones, and was now broke, but he didn't give a damn right now.

As he fiddled around with it, he tried to teach himself how to use it. He didn't really care to listen to the man whom he had bought the phone from at the store.

It was already activated, and the man showed him that there was a sliding keyboard.

"Fucking cell phones." Bakura groaned.

When he slid the black keyboard out he groaned in annoyance. How could he not see the numbers there? he'd been fiddling with it for about an hour hoping to figure it out so he could check up on Marik.

With lightning speed he dialed the only number he had memorized by heart and brought the phone to his ear. His breathing became ragged and his hands started to shake a little, but he didn't care. He would go through hell 10 times over just to make sure Marik was safe.

Bakura's heart nearly stopped when it stopped ringing and hit voicemail. Marik never let his phone go to voicemail unless something happened to Marik himself or the phone.

He quickly dialed the number again. Still, no answer.

Bakura felt tears rolling down his cheeks- which rarely ever happened. He hated himself for loving Marik this much, and even knowing that he would outlive Marik one day would kill him. He long ago swore to never love and only fuel himself with hatred, but now that he knew Marik, that oath was slowly slipping away.

"Please Marik." he whispered into the phone, and he tried once more.

The same result- voicemail.

As much as Bakura would like to be there with him-fly, run, swim, it didn't matter, he would never get there... whenever there was a plane crash somewhere all flights to that state or area were automatically suspended.

When he finally admitted to himself that he could do nothing about the situation, he dropped his arm. He felt like giving up. Like crawling in a whole and never showing his face again.

He crumpled to the floor- a pitiful heap of moaning and sobbing.

It was then that he realized that he didn't only love Marik, he _needed_ Marik. He was the only thing that seemed to keep Bakura wanting to live, to feel like there was another reason to live besides wanting revenge and death upon another. Bakura wanted, needed, and begged for Marik, both out loud and in his mind.

Bakura felt cold and dead inside, he stopped crying and he lifted himself up onto his knees. His body seemed statue-like, and his eyes looked cold and dead- lifeless. If Marik really was dead, Bakura decided that he would kill himself. A drastic measure, but he couldn't take it, even thinking that Marik might be dead scared him, and he didn't want to feel anything anymore.

The news was still going, but they were talking about sports now- nothing of interest to Bakura.

His lifeless eyes scanned his surroundings, and he spotted the notebook he'd been writing in.

Suddenly anger surged through him, he jumped up and grabbed it, then flung it across the room. He heard a thump, and he instantly regretted what he had done. Since the notebook was old, it must have meant something to Marik at one point.

With this thought in mind he slowly made his way over to the notebook, picked it up, and caressed it gently.

All Bakura wanted to do now was be with Marik, but he couldn't do that. But then Bakura decided that the closest he was going to get with Marik was to surround himself with Marik's things.

He made his way up to Marik's room, notebook in hand. When he reached the door he felt like knocking, but knew it was childish and pointless, so he felt the door, his palm resting on it for a brief moment before he clasped the doorhandle and slowly opened the door.

It seemed empty for Marik's room, only the bed, the dresser some photos of himself and Bakura and a few things still remained.

He crawled up onto his bed, his eyes dull with both grief and tiredness. He crawled under the blankets, but switched on the bedside lamp. It was purple, but he didn't care, it was Marik.

As Bakura lay in Marik's bed and stared up at the ceiling he felt somewhat comforted and safe, like a child wrapped in its mother's arms.

Oh by the gods did Bakura wish that Marik lay beside him now.

He brought the notebook up to his face, and decided to write in it...

**Day 3**

**Oh Marik... is this it? is this the last entry I ever make to you? it hasn't even been a weak, and you already might be dead...**

**I saw the news... I hope they aren't looking you YOU. I hope your somewhere else, that they're not talking about you. Please Marik, come back to me. I don't want to lose you.**

**If you are still alive, when you come back here, I'm going to hold you and never let you go, and I'll tell you to never leave my side again.**

**Oh Marik, I'm hurting... and I pray to the Gods that your all right. I can't imagine a life after you.**

**I have decided upon my own choosing that if or when you die I'm going to die too. I want to be with you, I haven't even left your house yet... I feel dead inside Marik... I wonder why?**

**Please, I hope your safe, you better be.**

**Oh, and I hope you know that because of this I went to go get a cell phone. Your damned phone's still missing.**

**~Bakura**

**P.S I only said this once, and I want to say it more often, but I'm not entirely sure if I can...**

**I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you, Nothing can stop me from loving you more than you will ever possibly know.**

As Bakura finished the entry he slowly closed the book and set it on the night stand. He clutched the necklace that Marik had put on him, always remembering and never letting go of that one memory.

He wrapped the blankets around his body and fell asleep breathing in Marik's sweet, sweet scent, hoping that he would wake up and Marik would be beside him sleeping peacefully. Bakura smiled fondly at the thought of Marik in a dream full of bliss, sandy-blond hair strewn about his face and Bakura laying next to him holding him close.

**Like me? hate me? oh well... **

**Thank you Fangirl16 for being the first and only reviewer so far.**

**I will try my best to update more often, but I've been getting busier with each passing day..**

**Love you viewers!**

**~N.O.T.F**


	4. Reliefs

**Well... my thingy got deleted so I had to re-write it.. it's not the same, but it still has the same basic Ideas and thoughts... it's a good thing I remembered, **

**also, I'm sick today, so I actually had time to type for once, lol! Oh, and I'm adding in another person's POV. Just one for the sake of this chapter, then it's back to the original Bakura and Marik POV.**

**To me, This chapter is freaking LONG. LOL! enjoy!**

**Bakura's POV**

Bakura rolled over and buried his face into Marik's pillow. He'd flipped on the news channel on last night, and listened to it while he slept just in case they found him; they didn't.

All Bakura wanted to do was to be wrapped in Marik's arms, but he knew that wouldn't happen.

Thinking of Marik made him think of a song. He remembered telling the blond that once, and he just begged to know what it was; but this was before both of them realized that they loved each other, so, naturally, he didn't tell him.

The song played over and over in his mind, and before he knew it, he found himself sliding out of Marik's soft and cozy bed to walk over to the radio and slide in a CD.

He pressed 'Play' and the CD began, Bakura sat on the floor in front of the radio and listened carefully to the song that was being played:

_I set out on a narrow way, many years ago_

_Hoping I would find true love along the broken road_

_But I got lost a time or two_

_Wiped my brow and kept pushing through_

_I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you_

He smiled softly, loving the memories that came,

_Every long lost dream led me to where you are_

_Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars_

_Pointing me on my way into your loving arms_

_This much I know is true_

_That God blessed the broken road_

_That led me straight to you_

_Yes He did_

Bakura couldn't stop smiling at this point, he was in a day-dream; he was feeling something for the first time that day,

_I think about the years I spent, just passing through_

_I'd like to have the time I lost, and give it back to you_

_But you just smile and take my hand_

_You've been there, you understand_

_It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true_

Bakura would have liked to keep listening, but at that moment, his cell phone rang.

He sighed and flipped the radio off, before he snatched up his phone and answered.

"Who the fuck are you?" was his automatic 'hello'.

"Uhm..." a female voice sounded.

"Are you Bakura Touzoku?" she asked shyly.

"What's it to you? and how the bloody hell did you even get this number?" he snarled.

"Do you know a Mr. Marik Ishtar? because you're on his emergency contact list..." she questioned.

Suddenly Bakura's eyes flashed with fear and alarm.

"Y-Yes... but this is a new cell phone, how did you even get this number when I just got it yesterday?" he replied.

"An emergency contact is a name as well as a number, it depends on your house number, and one of the benefits of the hospital is that you can look up someone by name and house number and then you can see all the numbers listed." she replied.

"O-oh; so... what about Marik?" he replied, maybe they had him already, maybe he was safe. _Gods, let that be it.._.

"Is he there?" she asked.

Bakura's heart sunk, no... no, they don't have him...

"No, why?"

"Well, he's a friend and a regular patient to this hospital, and the staff started to get a little worried when he didn't show-"

The woman was cut off by Bakura's abrupt hanging up.

"If it's got nothing to do with Marik's where abouts and well-being, then I don't give a fuck." he said to nobody in particular.

Bakura then set his phone down once more, and climbed back into his bed, the only thing on his mind at the moment, was, of course, Marik.

_Where are you Marik? please... I need you..._

**Marik's POV**

Marik felt like he was flying, he didn't know where he was, or even why, only that he was surrounded by a black abyss and the only thing that he could actually see was himself.

Different thoughts were running through his mind, he didn't know what to do, Bakura was always the expert on these types of things. Thinking of Bakura, a wave of anguish hit him like a wave. He missed Bakura, more than he'd ever thought possible.

What if he died now? What would he do? _You would probably want Bakura to join you._ But he didn't want that. _No, you would probably force Bakura to find some way to get you back._ Bakura wouldn't have to do that... _But he would if you asked..._

He hated his inner dialogue, but it was the only thing that would do anything for him, and the only way he ever thought out his problems.

"MARIK!" a voice shouted, he didn't know who it was, and he looked around, but saw nothing. The voice, to him, was both female and male, which puzzled Marik for a minute, but he realized that it might be two people at once...

"Hello?" he yelled out.

No one answered.

"Please! anyone!" he shouted.

Still no answer.

He had to do something, but he didn't know what. All he could do now was wait.

Maybe he was already on his way to death.. even though he felt such things as being pinched and moved, he thought that maybe his journey would be something to feel before you stop feeling; or, that was what Marik thought.

"Hang in there Marik..." a female voice sounded.

It was weird... he didn't recognize it. At first, he thought it was his sister, but then he didn't know where it was coming from.

"You really are a fool, you know..." suddenly, a hand was on his back.

Marik let out a startled squeak and spun around, only to bump into something... or some_one_ to be exact.

He looked up at the man before him; his heart nearly stopped, and he felt like screaming.

The man smirked, "Well well well..." he said. "What a pleasant surprise, I didn't think you would come here so soon..."

Marik's eyes dulled, he didn't know what to do.

The man slapped his back, and it stung. "say something Marik, don't tell me your shy now..." he trailed off.

Marik's eyes looked into the lavender eyes that stared back at him.

"Hi Mariku*."

**Bakura's POV**

Again, for the second time, his cell phone rang.

He answered.

"What."

"Is this Bakura Touzoku?" a male voice sounded, it was proper and professional sounding.

"Yes, who's this?" he asked.

"This is Doctor Satoshi Fotou, I have called to inform you that, as an emergency contact, we have someone at the hospital; You're from Japan are you not?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Yes, but my origins lie in Egypt." he said.

"Hmm... I can see that."

Bakura's patience was growing thin, "What the bloody hell do you want."

"From the wreckage, I've assumed that you were watching the news, we have recovered a boy, we haven't gotten his name yet, but we did come across a cell phone that had you under an emergency contact."

_Emergency contact... The only person I know who would make me an emergency contact is-_

"Did you find him? Marik Ishtar?" Bakura said into the phone.

"Is that his name?" the man said.

"He's got sandy blond hair, lavender purple eyes, and is probably wearing a short purple shirt..." Bakura said.

"Yes, that's it..." the doctor said.

_They found him! Thank Ra!_

"What hospital is this!?" Bakura asked urgently.

"The only one in Cairo Egypt."

_Fuck! I can't get to him!_

"Mr. Touzoku, we have arranged a helicopter to pick you up, are you ready?" he asked.

"I will get my things packed, but yes, send them." Bakura answered.

"They were sent a long while ago Mr. Touzoku, they should be there in about an hour or two."

"Great..." he replied, and then he swiftly hung up.

He raced up the stairs and started to pack what he had, then, with his stuff, he raced over to his own home to get extra stuff that he needed.

A shabby home, Bakura didn't like it much, he'd much prefer to be at Marik's house where it was nice and welcoming.

He didn't have much, so he packed everything, including the sleeping bag that he used for a bed.

He then drove to the airport, which took about an hour.

Once he had arrived he found the helicopter already landing on the platform. It was nice, no one tried to make him go through a long drawn out process in which he was searched. Since it was an emergency, no one cared.

"You ready Mr. Touzoku?" the pilot asked, when he had nodded, Bakura's plane set off again.

**Ishizu's POV**

"Hang in there." she whispered quietly in his ear.

He mumbled something, but she wasn't sure what. When the firefighters had found him, he had layed sprawled out on the ground, smoke consuming all of them. Since Marik's room was at the far end of the tomb, it was hard to recover him with all of the blockades.

"It'll be ok." Odion whispered reassuringly.

"How do you know Odion?" she asked.

Odion shrugged. "I don't, but it's always a good thing to believe in." he replied.

She nodded.

They were rushing down the hallway in the Cairo Egypt hospital, when they had brought Marik out of the tomb, the ambulance had said that Marik was indeed alive, but only just.

This had moved her to tears, and she knew that if she had ever lost her brother, she would be devastated. He was the only real, blood sibling she had, Odion felt like a brother to her, yes, but he wasn't a blood relative.

"I know you want to be with your brother, but you have to wait outside." the ambulance man had told them when they reached the doorway.

Ishizu nodded, "Alright." she said, her voice cracking with grief.

Odion rubbed her back reassuringly. "It'll be ok." he repeated.

The men rushed around the two, going this way and that, and then they wheeled Marik into another hallway that read, 'Medical Emergency Wing'.

"Brother, be safe." she whispered quietly.

Odion nodded in agreement, and guided her over to a nearby bench.

**Bakura's POV**

Bakura tapped his foot restlessly, he needed this plane to hurry up.

"Mr. Touzoku, we're not going to land, and, seeing as how you don't have much with you, you can jump." the pilot said.

"Are you crazy!" Bakura snarled, "No. we're going to get near to the ground as much as possible, because we have another emergency elsewhere." the pilot replied.

Bakura growled, but agreed, it was the only fast way after all, and he didn't give a damn if he broke his leg, as long as he got to be with Marik again, everything would be fine.

When it came time to jump, he was literally pushed out of the plane, along with his belongings. He was prepared though, and he landed on his feet. It wasn't that far from the ground anyway, so it didn't really matter, a toddler could jump from that height and still be safe.

The pilot nodded to him, and Bakura grabbed his things and raced into the building.

People were rushing around the room, he didn't know where they all were going, but he made his way to the counter and rung the bell.

A man appeared in a white jacket. "How may I help you sir?" he asked kindly.

"I'm here to see Marik Ishtar." he replied.

"Oh, you're the person I was talking to... hm... You looked different than I had imagined.." the doctor said.

Bakura groaned, this was the guy who had sent the plane to get him, Doctor Satoshi Fotou.

"Where is he?" Bakura urged.

"In the Medical Wing, I didn't expect you to arrive so early, so you can't go in there just yet, give the other doctors a few more minutes, and then you can enter.

Bakura nodded stiffly.

"You're his lover aren't you." the doctor suddenly said.

Bakura stiffened. "Why?" he asked.

The doctor shrugged, "Just curious. It's interesting though, with a person like him matched with a person like you..." he shook his head. "It doesn't make sense..."

Bakura growled. "He's an annoying person, but I put up with him because I know I can, and because I love him." he said.

The doctor blinked, " I know, I thought he looked like a stuck up person with an attitude."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "You don't even know him, so you can't really judge.."

The doctor smiled and held his hands up in mock defense, "Just saying.."

"Doctor." a female voice came.

The doctor swiveled his head to look at a blond female woman with blue eyes whom had walked around the corner a few seconds ago.

"Is it concerning that man from that tomb?" he asked.

"It's Marik Ishtar." Bakura growled.

The doctors gaze flicked to him for a brief moment, "Yes, Marik Ishtar." he rephrased.

"Yes sir, he's stable, but..." she trailed off.

"But what?" Bakura leaned over the counter, interest sparked in his eyes. Surely if he was stable there wasn't anything wrong right?

The woman sighed, "he's stable, but he's in a coma... I'm sorry.-"

"I want to see him. Now, if you don't mind." Bakura interrupted her ending statement.

She looked at the Doctor Satoshi for permission, who nodded.

"This way sir." she said in a small voice.

He followed her all the way down the hall, through doors, and down a hallway labeled, 'Medical Emergency Wing'. Not the most efficient name for a hospital wing, but it worked.

The woman stopped at a door, room 223, and knocked softly.

"Come in." a female voice sounded.

The woman opened the door, and let Bakura in, then swiftly shut it again and walked away.

Bakura stared at the woman whom had answered, and she stared right back.

A man was with her, of course.

"Odion, Ishizu." Bakura addressed them.

"Bakura." Ishizu said, her voice cold. "What is it that you want?" she asked. "My brother has nothing to give." she said.

"I came because I was worried." he said, Bakura knew that he had to be careful in his word choice, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to be with Marik.

"I think I'd like you to leave." she replied.

Bakura made a small sound of protest, which earned a surprised glance from Ishizu.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

Odion sighed, and rested his palm on Ishizu's shoulder.

"It's about time we left Ishizu, we have to go over to your friends house to take care of her children she left behind." he said quietly. Ishizu's eyes dulled, "Of course." she whispered back.

Odion ushered Ishizu out the door, but before Ishizu left completely, she turned back to Bakura, "If I find that you hurt Marik, I'll kill you." she said.

Bakura shuddered, he'd never known that Ishizu was capable of saying something like that, ever. But he guessed that it was out of concern for her brother, and how fragile he must be at the moment.

"I won't." he said.

And with that, Marik's siblings were gone, door shut.

For the first time that day, Bakura's eyes rested on Marik.

He looked so peaceful while he slept, for a coma state, it sure seemed that he was just sleeping.

"Marik?" he whispered quietly to the sleeping figure. He soundlessly made his way to the side of Marik's bed.

"Marik." it was no longer a question, but a statement full of emotion now as Bakura gently caressed Marik's soft blond hair.

"Oh Marik... What have you done?" he said quietly.

He leaned over the bed to look directly into Mariks face, he didn't twitch.

For the first time in Bakura's life, he leaned in and connected his lips to Marik's, which were soft and cool against his.

He pulled away, wishing he could kiss him longer, but he didn't want something bad to happen, so he plopped down in a chair next to him, and pulled out the same notebook he'd been writing in.

Only three entries, and already Marik might not be coming back.

He pulled out a pen, and then wrote again:

_Day 4_

_Marik, you're here, I found you. But you're not awake, you're asleep. The doctors said that you were in a coma, and I have no choice but to believe them._

_I met one of the doctors today, he seemed pretty friendly, like you. His name was Doctor Satoshi Fotou._

_Marik... Do you remember that one day where I had told you that I knew a song that reminded me of you? I lied, It wasn't for you, it was for _us._ It's called Bless The Broken Road, I don't think you've ever heard it before, but every time I hear it, I feel safe again._

_Please, Marik, I'll always be here for you, rain or shine, living or dead, I don't care, I'll always be here to help you when you need it, and I think now is one of those times, so I'm here Marik, and I'm waiting._

_I hope you come to soon, I don't know how long I have here, and I don't want to leave you when you're still fighting._

_~Bakura_

_~P.S- I love you._

**-Yes, I said Mariku, I find that I like that better, it sounds better than Melvin.**

**- Song was Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts**

**If you have never heard of that song, I suggest you listen to it, when you do, you will know why I like it, and why I chose to add it into the story :D**

**And, I hope you know that I like how this story came out better than my other chapter I was going to post, lol! I'm glad I didn't save it, it was worth the effort, :P**

**Wrote this all in an hour guys! It goes to show how fast I get ideas, and how fast I type, lol!**

**Until next time!**

**also, I'm trying to type the next chapter to my other story, An Adventure into the Future.**

**Also, I want you all to PM me about another story I can write that people would actually want to read more than this one, you know, it really depends. I hope to get a lot of PM's.**

**If you think I have a lot of PM's already guys, then your mistaken, I never get PM's XD**


	5. Awake

**Oh. My. God. It's been so long since I've last updated! SO SORRY ABOUT THAT. Anyway, I noticed a change in my writing recently. I think I've finally gained enough experience and such. So, I think my writing will be a bit better than what I've shown on this fic. I have to say, I've had so many ideas hit me for the next chapter, and I have gained more inspiration to keep going on. Plus, I feel that every story must have an ending, and I can assure you that this will go on. ^^ please enjoy my new writing, and this following chapter. Also, my apologies for the helicopter unrealism, but I assure you, there was a reason for that.**

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**Marik's POV**

Marik winced and shied away from his evil counterpart as Mariku let out harsh laughter that seemed to echo in the darkness. Why, out of all times, did Mariku come to him now? Oh… right… Bakura wasn't with him. Bakura, oddly enough, seemed to be the only person who could push Mariku so far away from him that Marik could hardly feel his presence at all_. Even when the thief seemed heartless and mean; it seemed Mariku would have no choice but to leave me alone._ Marik wasn't sure how Bakura did it. _Maybe it was just because, like Mariku, Bakura was a spirit. But, how could Bakura affect Mariku?_ _If it were me in Mariku's position, I would be afraid of Bakura, and try to steer clear of him. So, was that what Mariku was trying to do?_

"Marik, do you honestly think I'd be afraid of a weakling such as Bakura?" Mariku chuckled.

Marik's eyes widened. He had forgotten where he was for a moment.

"Mariku… what are you going to do?" Marik braved the question.

"Hmmm," Mariku thought for a moment. "You know, you did make a good point about Bakura being heartless and mean…"

"But Bakura isn't anymore! He's the best thing that's ever happened to-!" Marik then shut his mouth quickly. He knew that Mariku already knew this, but saying it aloud was something different. He had only ever admitted it to himself, but he had admitted it differently. He had only admitted to himself that Bakura was more than a friend to him, and that he wanted to be with Bakura, but… little did he realize that 'the best thing that had ever happened to him' was completely true. Though, he didn't realize it until just now.

"Well, well. Best thing that's ever happened to you?" Mariku questioned. "We may have to take that away…"

Marik's eyes grew round, "We?"

Mariku chuckled slightly, and an evil grin spread across his features. _Surely Mariku doesn't plan to get rid of him?_ Marik thought in despair.

"Why, you practically read my mind…" Mariku chuckled at his pun. "But, if you turn your thoughts around there… I think you have it a little backwards. After all, you're in a coma out there…"

"A coma?"

"Listen, do I need to spell this out for you?"

Marik thought a moment, _turn my thoughts around? What does he mean? All I thought about was him getting rid of Bakura… wait… unless, if he can't do anything due to the coma, it would have to be inside my head… which means… _His thoughts cut off as a sudden rush of total fear engulfed him. No, Mariku couldn't possibly plan to get _him_ instead.

"Mariku… please…" Marik whimpered. "Please, don't-"

"Marik, stop. You're being a baby. Man up and face your future." Mariku's voice grew louder with each sentence. When Marik had whimpered in response, Mariku could only let out booming laughter that seemed to mock Marik.

Marik shuffled his feet away from Mariku as he was too caught up in laughing, but that didn't do a thing. Mariku was only taking steps forward whilst he held his head to the black sky, laughing.

Marik then turned and ran as fast as he could. The laughter echoed still, but didn't fade. Marik felt like he was running, he could feel his lungs being pulled tighter as he expelled his energy, and pushed his legs onward.

It didn't seem to do any good, however, because Mariku's laughter stopped, and he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He stumbled in the darkness, and he fell to his knees.

"Marik, I thought you were smarter than that. You should know better." Mariku had leaned into his ear, and whispered. "You should know that no matter how fast you run, you can never escape in your own mind."

Marik felt something cool press up against the side of his neck. He stole a quick glance down to see what it was, but he didn't need to. He already knew what it was. The Millennium Rod, and it was unsheathed.

"Bakura," Marik whispered, he had a feeling this would be the last time he would ever get to say his lover's name. So, with it, he added: "I love you."

He had never said them with so much love brewing beneath them. It was true, he did love Bakura. When Marik had first told Bakura that he loved him, he simply thought of them as just words to express how he felt. But now he could see what those three words were. They were so much more. The words held meaning, and feelings. They were powerful words used to express so many deep emotions that were indescribable.

Marik felt so much love for him at that moment, he swore he would burst into a million pieces, and it was then that he knew that there was so much love in him, that Bakura would never know how much he had meant to Marik. Strangely though, he felt a tiny bit of pressure on his head, though he figured it was just the coma; even though it seemed gentle, he didn't realize that someone was caressing his hair in a loving way.

Tears began to spill down his cheeks freely and oh how desperately he wished his lover were here with him. Holding him, and pushing every bad thing away, ending his seemingly torturous reality. Especially taking away the pain Mariku was causing him mentally, and the pain Mariku would soon cause him physically when he dragged the Millennium Rod across his throat.

_Bakura, please, I love you. I want to be with you. Please, help me…_ His eyes slid closed as he felt Mariku press the Millennium Rod harder against his neck harder. This was probably due to his desperate thoughts and emotions surging through his mind at the moment.

Marik was so deep in his thoughts about Bakura, trying to visualize his lover, trying to picture him and what he would say or do. However, when he did so, he felt a tiny bit of pressure against his lips. His eyes immediately snapped open, and he heard a cry of frustration.

Marik shifted on his knees slightly, only just realizing the pain of kneeling, but then he came to the realization that Mariku no longer posed any threat at the moment. In fact, he was backing away, and the Millennium Rod was nowhere in sight.

The pressure was still on his lips, and then a sudden thought struck him. A thought that made him so overjoyed he almost fell over again as he stood up.

"Get out of my head, Mariku," Marik told him boldly. "You didn't belong here in the first place, and you have no right to be here now."

With these words said, Marik felt a sudden surge of boldness to accompany the feelings of love he felt for Bakura, which did seem a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, it got the job done.

Mariku's eyes grew wide, and he screamed out his frustration as he dissolved before Marik's eyes.

Marik felt a sense of accomplishment. He had finally drove his yami away. And Bakura was right there with him; or so that's what Marik had believed. But he couldn't help feel a little disappointed when the pressure against his lips faded. But, besides that, he felt freer. He no longer felt trapped. With Mariku, it was different; he always felt trapped when he was around, even when Mariku faded, he still felt trapped. Now, though, the darkness strangely seemed a little brighter. Did Bakura do that?

He wanted to see him so badly, and he also felt he could. The darkness disappeared, and he could no longer see his body. Now, he felt ready to wake up; in fact, he felt that he _could_ wake up, for now it only seemed that his eyes were closed, and the only deed now to be done was to open them

He only wished he knew how much time had truly passed since he had first passed out in his home…

**Bakura's POV**

"Leave me alone!" Bakura shouted. "I don't care about visiting hours and I sure don't give a damn about how long I've spent here!" He slammed the phone down angrily. He'd been here for almost four days now, and he had stood by his self promise to never leave Marik until he woke up.

Bakura growled silently to himself, and made his way back to the couch that one of the nurses had brought in for him to sleep on once they realized he was staying for a long time.

Marik was still in a coma state, and Bakura had cried silently each night; he didn't think he was capable of such acts, but with each day that had passed, he felt his love and desperation growing; especially his longing for the boy. He hadn't slept in days, but that was only because he felt restless.

Many nurses called Marik's room to try to convince Bakura to leave for one reason or another. What they didn't seem to realize, is that Bakura was undoubtedly stubborn, and would go to great lengths to get his way- luckily he didn't have to do anything too drastic just yet.

The only incident that he had had was when a group of nurses had tried to physically push him out the door, which resulted in Bakura flailing and punching every which way; this caused many bruised faces and stomachs to them. They hadn't even tried to enter the room anymore. The doctors were the only ones who went in, and they seemed rather annoyed at having to do the nurses duties because they were scared of Bakura.

Honestly though, Bakura wouldn't mind them if they just came in for the sole purpose of taking care of Marik, but since coming in contact with Bakura's fists, they wouldn't step foot inside unless a doctor was with them.

"Marik," he sighed out, "Get better…"

Bakura couldn't help it, he said this every day so far, and still no response. The journal he had kept had indeed been written in every day, but there wasn't much to write. Nothing really happened. There had already been eight entries, and the last four have consisted of such sentences as 'I love you' and 'I'm still waiting for you to wake up'. In Bakura's latest entry though, he'd written down something so cheesy he was rethinking of giving it to Marik. It had said 'I need you, Marik, and It drives me so crazy that I can't hold you that I might go insane'

Bakura picked up a pillow from the couch and hit his face with it; he then proceeded to fall sideways so that he was lying on his side on the couch facing Marik's direction. His hand reached to his neck, where he grasped the necklace that Marik had given him when they both admitted to each other their feelings, and he couldn't help but smile as he slid his finger across the necklace. However, as he spent the next five minutes stroking the necklace, he felt his eyelids droop considerably. He needed to sleep soon, otherwise he'd go crazy, and that would be bad for both him, as well as Marik.

He figured he'd just take a small nap; he'd already used one of the nearby showers that were down the hallway shortly before the nurse called him on the room phone.

It was still early morning, so he figured it would be better to take a small nap…

* * *

"Everyone calm down!"

A sudden shout startled Bakura awake. Why on earth were people screaming? It was a wonder how he could even sleep at all…

"Nurse Mica, get the IV, please," a voice sounded.

Bakura sat up then, and rubbed his eyes; he jumped to his feet, fully alert then when he realized that there was something going on.

"What is it?" Bakura asked worriedly.

There were two men in white jackets, which he could only assume were doctors, were leaning over Marik's head and body. A few nurses were there too, but only one of them was nervous when Bakura spoke up.

"Bakura, Marik is no longer in a coma state-" Bakura couldn't help but let out a startling sigh of relief, and the doctor continued. "You don't need to worry, we're just trying to help him wake up, but he isn't right now…"

Bakura stood for a moment longer, watching the nurse come back with the IV, and some other nurses filing out of the room.

"W-Would it be alright if _I_ tried to wake him up?" Bakura suddenly said. He didn't intend to say that, but now that it was out of his mouth, he couldn't take it back.

"Uh…" The two doctors looked at each other for a moment. "Once we get the IV set up, you can…" one of them replied.

Bakura nodded, "Alright,"

Once the IV was set up, the two doctors and all the nurses there turned to him expectantly. Bakura gulped; he wasn't used to having so many people staring at him all at once straight on like that. He found it nerve racking.

"Can I try _privately_?" Bakura braved the question.

There were a few startled intakes of breath, but the doctors seemed to get the hint. "Alright. Out, all of you," The two doctors ushered the nurses out the door, and there were faint giggles coming from them. _Great. Now I'll be made fun of if any one sees me when we leave… but… that shouldn't matter. All that matters now is… Marik._

Bakura walked over to Marik's bed side, and brushed a few strands of his blonde locks from his cheek; his hand lingered on Marik's cheek for a moment.

"Marik," He voiced once, "Please, wake up. For me."

Then, Bakura leant forward, and pressed his lips once more to Marik's soft mouth. He lingered there for a moment; and he was about to pull away, he felt arms encircle his neck and pull him down.

He smiled as he realized that his lover had awoken, and he licked at Marik's bottom lip, begging for entrance, which was granted. Their tongues battled for dominance, but Bakura won, and he proceeded to explore the cavern in which he longed for so long to taste.

Eventually, they both had to pull back for air, and when he blinked open his eyes, Marik's lavender orbs stared up at Bakura.

"I missed you, Bakura." Marik whispered quietly, emotion sparking in his eyes. Bakura couldn't help but smile down at him. "I missed you too." Bakura croaked. This surprised him; in fact, he didn't think he'd ever sound love sick when Marik would wake up. Marik smile a little, and Bakura couldn't help but press his lips to Marik's once more.

However, their little moment was interrupted by a quick bang of the door being swung open. Bakura and Marik immediately separated to see who it was; and it was none other than Ishizu and Odion.

There was a startled squeak from Ishizu, but Odion didn't make a noise, he just looked shocked. Not to say that Ishizu wasn't also. Bakura glanced back down at Marik, who was staring at them.

Bakura wasn't sure if they were shocked about Marik being awake, or if they had seen him kissing their brother and was shocked about that. He couldn't tell.

"Ishizu… Odion…" Marik voiced, and Bakura could see a light blush spread across his features, which Bakura found cute. He wasn't sure why, but that hideous word was what best described it. Bakura then found himself searching for Marik's hand, which was above his covers. Bakura's gaze was still locked onto Marik's siblings, but when his hand bumped Marik's, he immediately interlaced their fingers.

He could feel Ishizu's eyes burning through his skull, and it was then that he realized that they _had_ seen him kissing their brother. He felt a twinge of shame, but it quickly escaped him when he felt Marik squeeze his hand reassuringly.

"Bakura…" Ishizu said, speechless. She turned to Odion, but he seemed speechless too.

"I told you I'd never dream of hurting Marik…" was all Bakura could manage to say to them.

"True," Odion spoke, seeming to get over the shock quickly, "I wish I had known for sure that this was what was going on though," he added.

"You… guessed?" Marik squeaked out.

"Yes…" This time, Ishizu turned her shocked face from Bakura's direction, to Odion's direction. "Why didn't you tell me that this was going on!?" she exclaimed.

"It was only a hunch, Ishizu."

"But still! I'd have liked to know who my brother was dating! Or even if he _was _dating!"

"I'm sorry."

"Just tell me next time! If it concerns Marik, you should always tell me!" she started to sound exasperated.

Bakura turned away from the arguing siblings, and looked at Marik. "We gave them a show without knowing, it seemed."

Marik smiled and shook his head, "Should we give them another?"

Then, the nurses reentered, without the two doctors this time. They were trying to calm down the two squabbling siblings, all the while, trying to make their way to the now conscious Marik.

"Yes, I think we should," Bakura replied, another smirk on his face.

Marik's only reply was a smile and light laughter. "Well then, here goes nothing."

He pulled Bakura back down again, and they resumed their kiss. The room fell silent, as they continued their ministrations, but Bakura soon forgot all about them. So did Marik. As their tongues battled, he found that he quite liked the taste of Marik's mouth. As he explored even further into the Egyptian's mouth, Marik gripped the front of Bakura's shirt, and tried to drag himself up into a sitting position. Bakura helped as best as he could, without getting himself tangled around the tubes around his lover, as well as keeping their lips locked together.

When they pulled apart again, Bakura held onto both sides of Marik's head, and had their foreheads pressed up against each other.

"Marik, I wanted you to know…" Bakura started, and Marik looked into Bakura's eyes. Lavender orbs locked with brown, and neither could look away. "I wanted you to know… that I loved you more than you'll ever know."

Marik smiled softly, "I wanted to say the same thing. After all, I think you were the one that helped me get out of that coma." He whispered.

Bakura shook his head a little in doubt, "You should get some sleep now, huh." He suggested, changing the topic.

"Probably, and I don't think that would be a problem now… Everyone's gone." He said, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

When Bakura turned away, he saw that Marik was correct. No one was in sight, and the door was closed. He then turned back to his lover, "Get some sleep then; I'll turn off the lights for you."

"Ok," was Marik's reply.

Bakura walked over to the door, and flicked the lights off. It wasn't totally dark, but this was when Bakura had realized how long he had actually slept. It was almost sunset now, and it would be dark outside soon. Ishizu and the others must have gone home. Though, why they had to rush over around that time anyway was beyond him. Since it was almost dark, one would think that the siblings would wait until the next morning where they could spend the whole day with their brother.

As Bakura made his way over to the couch by Marik's bed, he snatched up the journal. Marik's voice whimpered a little, and he turned to see what was wrong; but then he realized that Marik had wanted to talk to him more.

"Sleep," Bakura ordered. But Marik just stared at him, eyes wavering. He sighed, "Marik… I don't know what you want unless you say something…"

"Can you sleep with me tonight?"

Bakura blinked, startled. "Um…" He thought a moment. Of course he wanted to sleep with Marik, but he had a feeling that if he did, Marik would be tempted to stay awake and talk to him. Of course, Bakura could try to sleep, but Marik would bug him until he answered.

"Please, Bakura? Something happened while I was asleep… and I'd really like it if you slept by me… just for tonight…"

Bakura's eyes softened then, "Alright, I will. But, let me do something first, then I'll come. Ok?" Marik nodded slowly, eyes full of wonder. Probably about what he was going to do.

He went over to his bag by his couch, and pulled out a flashlight, journal still in hand.

"Try to get some sleep while I do this, ok? I'll try to be quick."

Marik merely nodded and settled into his bed, eyes fluttering closed. Bakura couldn't help but smile softly as he settled down on the couch. He twisted the flashlight on, and placed it in his mouth, freeing both of his hands. He took up the journal, and flipped it over to the eighth page. He took out a pen then, and began to write.

**_Day 8_**

**_You've finally awoken from your coma. Words can't explain how happy I am to see your smiling and bright face again after four torturous days sitting by your bedside. There is so much I want to tell you in the moment; mostly consisting of 'I love you' and 'Don't you ever leave me' which I probably will give to you in person anyway, long before you read this. I'm just so… grateful… that you're alive and well. Ever since I first got word that you were in trouble, I've been worried sick; even when I came here. I was so worried that you wouldn't make it…_**

**_On another note, Ishizu and Odion… they saw us. This could get pretty interesting really quickly. If they say we can't be together… screw them. You're mine, and you're all I'll ever need._**

**_-Bakura_**

"Bakura? Are you done yet?" Marik murmured. Bakura just sighed, "Yes, I'm done now."

He quickly closed the journal and capped his pen. He quickly hid both deep into his bag, and twisted the flashlight off. He placed that atop his bag too, and walked over to his lover's bedside. He didn't care that he was still in his day clothes, he didn't feel like changing anyway.

He carefully moved the tubes and equipment attached to Marik aside, and he crawled underneath the blankets. The bed was surprisingly big, and fit both of them; and it was surprisingly comfortable.  
"Marik, go to sleep now." Bakura whispered softly in his ear.

"Alright, Bakura" Marik smiled softly. He then cuddled up to Bakura's side, and Bakura moved his arms to wrap them around Marik's shoulders. Marik rested his head on Bakura's stomach, and Bakura snuggled closer to him.

"I love you, Bakura." Marik said as he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Bakura yawned, and rested his head on the pillow. "I love you too, Marik. I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that, Bakura fell asleep with a smile on his face.

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**OMG CUTENESS. LOL. So~ how did I do? I know I said this was discontinued, but since I gained so many more ideas for this fic, I just HAD to update. Anyway, I've been working on the next chapter for An Adventure Into The Future. Please bear with me on the updates! I know I'm super slow.**

**Any questions? Comments? Ideas for this next chapter? Review or PM me! :D**


	6. Exploration And A Surprise

**Hey all! Now that school and finals are over, and summer has begun, I'll be able to update this more frequently. Also, I wanted you to know this chapter will only be Bakura's POV… sorry about that guys! OH AND, LONGEST. CHAPTER. EVER. Have fun reading all of this in one night XD**

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**Bakura's POV**

Bakura woke with a start. He didn't know where he was, or what was going on. Where was he!? Regardless of where he was, he had to get to Marik. He could still be hurt!

_Oh wait... _Bakura thought. _I already got here… and Marik was in a coma… I woke him up, didn't I?_

Bakura then realized that he was staring at a wall; he turned his head, and looked beside him. There Marik was, sleeping peacefully. He had remembered when Marik came to his small apartment, and had asked him if he could stay with him for a few weeks because his house was being renovated. He of course, agreed, because he knew Marik had no one else to turn to. Even before Bakura had even admitted his feelings for the boy, he had always remembered thinking that he shouldn't let that beautiful boy suffer in the cold.

The first night, he had set up a make-shift bed out in the living room, and told Marik that he would be right across the hallway. He even remembered promising the blonde that he'd clear out the spare room full of his junk, just for him. Bakura clearly remembered being startled out of his skin when he heard Marik give a blood curdling scream in the middle of the night.

He had rushed out to see what had happened, only to find Marik curled up into a tight ball in the middle of the floor, shivering and whimpering. Bakura was genuinely concerned, and intrigued, as to what had happened. Bakura then had knelt down and rubbed Marik's back reassuringly; Marik had calmed down then, but Bakura still wasn't sure if it was because of his actions, or if Marik was just getting over the shock of his nightmare.

Now that Bakura thought of it, Marik had these nightmares periodically. But this particular night, it seemed safe enough. Bakura still thought it odd, however, that whenever he had gone into Marik's room in the past and slept on the floor, there would only be minor whimpers, but that was it. It seemed that whenever Bakura _wasn't_ in the room, Marik would be screaming.

Was it just his presence in the room, then? It did seem possible, especially when Marik hadn't wanted to move back to his own house after the renovations were done. Even yesterday when Marik had told him that he was the reason Marik woke up from his little coma. Bakura was doubtful of this, but the more he thought of it, the more he thought it might be true.

_Marik… What had even caused his nightmares? Mariku was gone… wasn't he? If he was, it couldn't be that. Mariku was already in the shadow realm… _Bakura sighed; he would have to ask Marik when he woke up.

Looking at the Egyptian now, laying on his back and his blonde hair strewn about across the pillow, he couldn't help but let a smile cross his features. Marik meant so much to him, and he felt sure Marik would never know how much. Bakura knew he would do anything for the Egyptian, if he had asked. Of course, there would have to be some teasing to go with it. Bakura had an image with everyone else, and he wasn't about to let Marik affect the way his mind worked _outside_ the house.

Bakura sighed, and slowly rolled out of the bed, careful not to disturb Marik's sleep. As much as he didn't want to leave the bed, he knew he had to. After all, he'd need to talk to Marik's siblings, just to make sure that they weren't too freaked out by their relationship. Bakura guessed that Marik hadn't even told them that he was gay in the first place.

He quickly grabbed his bag that was lying on the floor next to the couch; he heard a clatter on the floor. It was his pen that he'd been writing with, but he just shrugged and placed the long strap over his shoulder. With one last glance at Marik's sleeping form, he quietly snuck out of the room, and latched the door without a noise. Bakura then turned to see a nurse walking past, and he grabbed her shoulder. She looked rather startled, and he realized that she was one of those nurses that was afraid of him.

"Don't worry," Bakura said quickly. "I-I'm sorry about, you know, what happened earlier…"

The nurse's scared face, turned into one of relief. She smiled at him and said "No problem… is there something you need?"

Bakura nodded, "When Marik wakes up, can you tell him I had to go somewhere, but I'll be back as soon as I can?"

"Sure," she said whilst smiling.

"Thanks." He said, and then he walked away, moving with the twists and turns of the hallway, until he reached the front desk. That same man was there, though.

"Ah, if it isn't Bakura Touzoku,"

"Doctor Satoshi Fotou," Bakura addressed.

"My, I haven't seen you in such a long time. I was beginning to think that I'd never see you again." He said, whilst giggling. Which was quite unnerving; men like him shouldn't giggle. It wasn't natural.

"So what?" Bakura asked, "Is there something you want? I'm just about to leave…"

"Well, now there _was_ something… But I can't remember now…" The doctor trailed off, a puzzled look on his face.

"Great, if you remember, call me about it." Bakura growled, and then headed for the exit. "I'll be sure to do that!" Satoshi Fotou called out as he walked through the sliding doors.

* * *

Bakura didn't know where to even begin his search for Marik's siblings. He was crazy to just think that he might stumble upon them, or meet them at their tomb. Their home was destroyed, so there was no way they would go back there. _Think Bakura, think. What had Odion said when they both had arrived…_? Bakura pondered these thoughts for a while, whilst standing next to a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, well, almost nowhere.

Bakura was used to his homeland, though it had changed over the millennia, he could still recognize basic surroundings.

This brought him to a different thought train though, about his home. Kul Elna, was it still there? He didn't remember anyone entering his home after it was destroyed, except the pharaoh and his subordinates from his memory.

Perhaps, after he had a talk with Ishizu and Odion, he would go to Kul Elna…or its _location_ anyway. He didn't know what to expect when he arrived.

_Anyway, _he thought, _Odion… Didn't he say that they had to babysit someone's kids? But… they didn't specify who… maybe if I ask around…?_

Bakura turned around, and then looked all around him. Right, he was still in the middle of nowhere. But, luckily for him, he knew exactly where he was. He was about a couple miles away from Marik's tomb. He should probably go there, and maybe, if luck was on his side, he'd run into them.

As Bakura made up his mind, he followed the dirt road he was beside, running at his top speed. Bakura didn't think he had it in him to run at top speed like that, especially when he had a few miles. If he slowed down a little, it would be achievable… But Bakura couldn't help it. He was still curious about his birth place.

* * *

Bakura finally reached his destination after about twenty minutes; for a few miles running at top speed, it was pretty good. He felt exhausted though, and he had a painful stitch in his side.

The tomb was before him, unnoticeable at first, but with mini piles of the plane still around, and 'caution' tape surrounding the area, it wasn't hard to miss. The door to the tomb was open, and crumbled. There were holes in the concrete, and only one was so deep that it showed that there was space underneath.

Bakura roamed around the outside a while, thinking that maybe Ishizu and Odion would drive by and see him, but after a while he grew too hot. He decided to take a peek inside the tomb. He had never really been in this particular tomb before, not even in his past, and he was curious as to what it looked like. He knew it would look different after the plane incident, but he didn't care.

He moved the crumbled parts of the entrance away, and found there to be steps leading down, but it was dark down there. He quickly grabbed at his bag, and drew out his handy flashlight, and twisted it on. He shined it down the stairs, and saw that the staircase went on for good stretch of the way; he also saw rubble and debris from the crash.

He clamped the small, but powerful, flashlight in his teeth, and started his way down. He didn't have to move many rocks, but he did have to clear most of the debris away. As he got deeper into the tomb, he found it to be clearer rather than messier.

When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he looked around; it was still dark, so the flashlight clenched between his teeth would have to do. As he looked around, he saw that a lot of the Ishtar's belongings were scattered around the area. Probably from that massive earthquake they must have received from that plane that crashed on top of them.

Bakura sighed, it was sad really, this tomb wasn't much, and to have had Marik living in a place like this was just plain sad. Though, it was pretty spacey. There was more than one hallway, leading into four different directions. He chose the one to the right, closest to him.

The hallway seemed to go on forever, but he didn't mind. There were old pictures and paintings hung up on the walls in which he could view as he strolled along. When the paintings and pictures ended, so did the hall. There were no turns; there was only a door at the end of the hallway.

As carefully as he could, in case it caused another downfall of rocks from the ceiling, he opened the door. This room was a bedroom, but not like would have guessed a bedroom to be. It was in the same shape as one would expect, but there were two twin beds pushed together, and only a cloth draped it. Only one side was pulled back, though. The room was empty, but on a small dresser, pictures were on it.

As Bakura walked over to the dresser, which was on the opposite wall of the beds, he noticed that the pictures were all of Marik and his siblings; there was another older man with them, which Bakura could only assume was their father, but… there was none of the mother. Marik had once told Bakura of his mother, but that was a long time ago. Marik had seemed to avoid the whole subject as much as he could. Bakura felt bad, especially when Marik had said that he had no picture of her. He was sure though, that there _was_ one lying around somewhere. Maybe if he found one, he could give it to Marik.

He opened the drawers, but they held nothing interesting-only clothes were tossed around. There was a layer of dust over them, though. Like no one had been in here for the longest time.

Then it dawned on him, this place. At first he had thought it might have been Odion and Ishizu's bedroom, but then he realized, with the dusty clothes, the pictures on the dresser, that this was in fact the room of Marik's parents.

Marik had never told their names though, he only specified that his father was the reason he had the ritual on his back, and that Marik was the reason for his mother's death. Marik had said that he never really knew his mother, but that was only because his mother had died giving birth to him. Bakura didn't find out about that last part until he overheard Marik's siblings talking to Marik about it.

The more Bakura rummaged through the drawers, the more he felt angered. His thoughts mostly consisted of how unfair Marik's life was compared to his own. Marik never really had anyone to begin with, and from the moment of his birth, he was guilty of killing his mother- or at least, that's what Marik had told him. Marik was then shunned by the only parent he ever knew, and only kept in one place his whole life. This tomb. This very tomb was the place Marik was born, and trapped.

Bakura felt like breaking something; Marik was alone the whole time- Ishizu and Odion were there, yes, but they never helped him. They even listened to Marik's cries for help, as well as his cries of pain and agony as the ritual was carved into his bare skin. His perfect, tanned skin. It was ruined by a parent who didn't even care about the well-being of his own son.

Mariku was also brought into Marik's life then, too. The ritual was Marik's curse- like he didn't have enough problems in his childhood. Mariku would posses him and make him do terrible things. And this was also the place where Mariku had killed Marik's father- using Marik's own body. This only seemed to make it all the more worse for Marik. Now he held responsibility for _both_ of his parent's deaths. Marik thought it was all his fault.

Bakura even remembered that Marik had said he didn't want to live because of it. Now, with his newfound feelings, Bakura wouldn't be able to handle Marik's death. If he died… Bakura didn't know what he would do. Like Marik, he had also witnessed deaths. Only, Bakura had witnessed a _lot_ more deaths than Marik. Bakura even killed people in the past, knowingly and intentionally. He was a thief, and sometimes that included violence to get what he wanted. He wasn't exactly proud of it, now that he was with Marik.

Bakura sighed, and let his thought train go. He pushed the top two drawers, and opened the bottom two. These drawers consisted of men's clothes, also layered in dust-only less than the top drawer had. Bakura guessed it was Marik's father's clothes.

As Bakura rummaged, he found a pair of pants; Marik had said once that his father only ever wore a tan cloak, but this obviously wasn't true. He must have worn pants and a t-shirt underneath to mask the fact that he'd been outside the tomb before, and his children hadn't.

Bakura patted the pants down, and found there was something hard in the back pocket. Bakura didn't need to be a thief to know what it was- anyone could guess that it was a wallet.

He ripped it out of the pocket; it was a worn-in brown, leather wallet. He eagerly opened it up, and he wasn't too surprised to find a little bit of money in it. There were also coupons tucked into the slots; one of the sides flipped open on the side. Bakura flipped it, and was shocked to find exactly what he was looking for. It was a picture of Marik's mother and in good quality too. Bakura felt a little bad though, it didn't seem fair that he got to see what Marik's mother looked like before he did. But Bakura promised himself that he would give the picture to Marik, as well as blow the picture up a little more to make it bigger.

Bakura quickly flipped it back, closed, and pocketed the wallet. He wasn't going to take the money; he'd give that back to Marik's siblings, even though he wanted to keep it all for himself.

Besides, it would help them reconstruct their tomb, or if they so wished, they could buy a house and live there instead. It wouldn't buy them all of that by itself, but it would help...

Bakura closed the drawers, looked around one more time, and then exited the room, making sure to close the door carefully on his way out.

He rushed down the hallway in order to get to where he had first started. Then he chose another hallway that was immediately across from him, which would have been the left in accordance to the doorway. This hallway was different, it was much shorter, but no pictures were on the walls. When Bakura reached the end of the hallway, instead of one room straight ahead, there was two doors, one on one side of the hall, and another on the other side of the hall. Bakura wasn't too interested in the two rooms though, one was spoofed up, and girly-which Bakura could only guess was Ishizu's room, and the other one didn't have anything in it besides a dresser and a bed. There wasn't even anything on the dresser. Bakura assumed it was Odion's room- he seemed plain anyway.

Bakura quickly back tracked, and came to the main area again. There were two halls left to explore now; in accordance to the entrance, it was the far left and far right hallways.

Bakura walked to the far right, he was trying to hurry as much as he could, so that he could do other things, but he was intrigued by Marik's home, and where he grew up.

As Bakura walked down the hall, a rotten smell hit his nose; he wasn't sure what it was, but he was nervous to find out. Once he got to the end of the hallway, he was met with a door, directly in front of him, just like Marik's parent's room was. He braced himself, and opened the door.

To Bakura's surprise, he was met with another staircase, and another stronger wave of rotten what-ever-it-was. Bakura's teeth were hurting from holding the flashlight, so he grabbed it, and held it. When Bakura closed his mouth, the smell wasn't as bad as it was. He tried his best not to breathe in deeply, and pushed on.

Once he got to the bottom of the stair case, there was no door, so he could see right in.

What he saw made his legs go weak, and his heart fill with sadness and horror. He didn't know how to react to this. He _couldn't_ react to this. Bakura just stood there; little did he know, there were tears forming and falling from his eyes. The scene hurt him mentally. Why the Ishtar family never did anything about this, he would never know. Especially when Marik's family was being saved from the plane crash; surely they had checked _everywhere_ to make sure there was no one left inside.

Bakura felt his legs give way underneath him, and he fell into a kneeling position, still crying at the scene. It was horrifying, and he was sure that even after he left, he wouldn't be able to shake this image from his mind.

Bakura was sure now, that this was the place where Marik had had his markings carved into his back, and where his father had died. Bakura didn't need someone to tell him, because all the evidence he needed was there, and was so painfully obvious.

Blood was everywhere; it was on the floor, the stone table, and even on the walls. There was a dent in the concrete, high enough for a full grown man to have been flung back at full force. There was a half-skeleton hunched against that very wall, with rotting flesh hanging off of it, just below the dent. Bakura had no doubts in his mind that this was Marik's father-or… corpse of a father. Bakura knew then that the rotten smell came from him- the smell of rotten flesh. It was revolting, and it made Bakura want to throw up. In fact, he was thinking about throwing up right then and there.

All of this was too much for Bakura, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the flow of tears trailing down his face. He wasn't sure why he was crying, he just knew that he was. What a sucker he was turning into, crying and all. He had never once cried before he met Marik, but ever since he had admitted to Marik that he did in fact have a heart, it seemed his emotions were wild and out of wack.

Bakura squeezed his eyes shut, and stood on shaky feet. Without another glance, he was up the staircase, and had the door shut behind him. He let out a shaky breath, before he continued to walk on. He still couldn't shake the image from his mind, though.

On a happier note, he hadn't seen Marik's room yet, so maybe it was down the last hallway. He had been wanting to see Marik's room, and if there was even anything in it. So, he went to the last and final hallway, and felt a sense of calm wash over him.

Going down this hallway reminded him a little of Marik's hallway back in Domino. It seemed that Marik had based it a little off of this one. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of the boy; how happy he had been to see Bakura when he woke up, how upbeat he was about everything. Without Marik in his life, Bakura thought he would most definitely not care about anything… and he would be very lonely.

Bakura didn't have to reach the end of the hallway to get to a door. However, when he tried to open it, he wasn't successful. As Bakura inspected the door more carefully, he noticed that it was locked. Pad locked, that is. There was no way he could get through this door without either breaking the locks, or busting the door down with his foot… unless he found a key, which was highly unlikely.

Bakura then looked up at the ceiling, and found that it was crumbled and unsteady; he didn't want to chance touching it. So he guessed that breaking the door down was no longer an option, he didn't want to die here under a pile of rubble that would have collapsed under him. He didn't even want to chance poking at it, it looked so unstable… his best option for the door seemed to be either finding the key, or finding something strong enough to clip the locks.

He knew he wouldn't find the key anytime soon, if it were in Marik's parent's room, he would have found it already, but something strong, however… He vaguely remembered seeing something long and shiny in the main room…

He quickly backtracked again to the main area, which Bakura had now realized was a living room of sorts. That one shiny spot he had seen, was now nowhere to be found. _Maybe if I see it out of the corner of my eye again, I might be able to pinpoint it…_

He turned towards a hallway in which he had already been down and walked to it. A flash of light then made him freeze. The light came again, and still, he wasn't able to move.

Footsteps were heard, and he felt his stomach drop. Someone was here… no, there was more than one person…

"Bakura!?" came a shocked voice; Bakura winced, "Hello, Ishizu…" he replied.

Ishizu sighed, and came the rest of the way down her home steps, Odion following close behind. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"Uh… well, you see…" Bakura began, "I was actually looking for you both, and I didn't know where to find you… So I came here thinking that you might be trying to salvage what you can, and… I got curious…"

Ishizu blinked, "Curious as to where everything was?"

"Well, more like what it might have been like to live here…"

"So, basically, you wanted to know where everything was."

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Sure, yeah."

"Have you explored everywhere you wanted to?" Ishizu said a little nervously.

"No, not everywhere… There are still two rooms in one hallway I haven't seen yet."

Ishizu shook her head in disbelief, "Odion, help him navigate…please…"

"Sure, Ishizu." Was his reply, then he grabbed Bakura by the wrist and dragged him off down a random hallway.

"Uh… Odion, I've been here," Bakura said as he was dragged down to where Ishizu and Odion's rooms were.

"I guessed, but I need to get something first."

Bakura didn't reply, but Odion let go of Bakura's wrist, and entered his own room, only to come out a few seconds later. What he had wanted was beyond Bakura's comprehension; as far as Bakura was concerned, it was nothing too important.

"Lead the way, Bakura," Odion said, gesturing in front of him as he latched his room door behind him.

Bakura simply nodded, and made his way back to the hallway he was in previously, before Ishizu and Odion had arrived. When he stopped in front of the locked door, Odion frowned.

"What?" Bakura asked.

"I don't want to go in there…"

"Why not?"

"Well, it was our father's place…"

"So?"  
"Bakura, even Ishizu and Marik haven't even been in here before, not even once. For all they know it's a trap door that leads to somewhere else…"

"And they were never curious about that?"

"Well," Odion thought, "It helps to tell them that there are specific traps set up in there that they can get caught in if they're not with me…"

Bakura sighed, "Why go through the trouble of lying though? It's only a room…"

"It's much more than just a room, Bakura." Odion said, and pressed a hand up against the door. "This room was the one place where our father spent most of his time, where he basically _lived_, and the one place he was able to calm down whenever he went… mad."

"Oh…" Bakura said, trailing off.

"You still want in, don't you…?" Odion said whilst sighing.

Bakura nodded vigorously, "It's not like your father's gonna mind much…"

Odion sighed, and then looked down the hallway to make sure Ishizu wasn't around. When he found she wasn't, he pulled out a ring of keys from his pocket. "You won't tell Ishizu and Marik, will you? What's really in here?"

"No…" Bakura said, If Odion had kept this a secret for so long, there must have been a reason for that. "I promise I won't say anything to them."

Odion sighed in relief, "Alright, in you go then. After this room, Marik's room is the last room down this hallway." Odion searched through his keys, picked a rusty looking one, and then unlocked the door. He let the door slowly creak open, and stepped back for Bakura to explore.

"Aren't you coming in too?" Bakura asked.

"No; Ishizu thought this would be a quick tour… as did I. But this is all I have time to show you before Ishizu and I are off again."

Bakura thought a moment, "Where will you be if I need to talk to you?"

Odion was rather taken aback by this question, but nevertheless, answered. "Well, we'll be at Mayu's house…" when Bakura looked a little confused, Odion added, "If you need to find us, tell Marik that that is where we'll be. He should know where to go from there."

"Ok."

Odion then turned away saying, "Lock the door on your way out,"

Bakura nodded; he was about to go deeper into the room, but a sudden thought struck him, or rather, a few thoughts.

"Odion?" Bakura began, stopping Odion in his tracks. "Yes?"

"Would it be alright to take Marik's stuff back to Domino?"

Odion was silent for what seemed like forever, but was really only a minute.

"I suppose…"

Bakura let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you,"

"Anything else?"

"Actually… I have a question…"

Odion turned back to Bakura, waiting.

Bakura shifted his feet unconsciously, "I saw that room… that one room downstairs…"

Fear flashed before Odion's eyes, as well as hurt, but Bakura pressed on.

"What happened in that room _exactly?_ I mean… _why _did it even happen?"

Odion turned away at that; he didn't seem to want to answer that question. "Bakura, if you want to know, you should ask Marik." And with that, he turned and walked down the hall.

Bakura stood there a few seconds longer, but he instantly shut the thought out; he still had two more rooms to explore, and this one seemed to be the most important… especially when Odion had to lie to his siblings in order to make them stay away from it.

Bakura turned his attention to the room he had just entered. It was a dark place, and he couldn't see very well. He let his eyes adjust as much as possible, but when he could still barely make anything out, he searched for some type of light. It was then that he realized that, silly him, he was still holding his flashlight. He had wondered why it was off though.

Shrugging, he twisted it back on, and shined it around.

The place wasn't what he had thought it would be. He thought it would be a man-cave where their father had kept everything valuable. Well, that wasn't too far from the truth, but it didn't look like any kind of man-cave he'd ever seen. In fact, if he were to compare it to something, he'd probably compare it to a home office. A really old computer was set up, but was turned off, and there were papers everywhere. There were also layers upon layers of dust and dirt everywhere. Even on top of the computer. If Marik _were_ to be in this room, he wouldn't stay in it for long.

Bakura sighed and sat at a stool-type chair next to the computer, and started going through the papers. He doubted there would be anything worth reading in there anyway.

Bakura seemed to be right, for most of it was just letter crap half-written by their father to different places outside of the tomb. No wonder no one was ever allowed in here. If Marik and his siblings knew that their father had connections outside of the tomb, they would become unfaithful and wander outside. Their father must not have wanted that.

Bakura took note of the other pile of papers on the floor next to a small shredding machine. It must be a pile of junk that he wanted to shred but hadn't ever gotten around to doing. Bakura sighed, _nothing really interesting there…_

He was about to turn away from the computer area when something caught his eye.

_Will_ it read. Bakura quickly snatched it up from the pile of junk by the shredder, and tore open the envelope. He didn't care that it wasn't his to open; it wouldn't have been discovered if he hadn't even been in here.

On the will, which he wasn't sure if it was the father's or the mother's; it just read 'Ishtar' at the top. There wasn't much to read. A simple sentence was written.

_To Marik, my only son, I leave everything._

Bakura stood there, rereading it carefully. He knew now that it couldn't have been the mother's; Marik had told him once before that Odion had said their father only ever considered Marik as his son. Not Odion, in their father's eyes, Odion was merely a slave. So… It had to be Marik's father's will…

But how did that make sense? Didn't his father hate him?

But then he had an epiphany; Marik was the only blood-related son, therefore he would be head of the family. Thus came the markings which labeled him as such. Of course Marik's father would leave him everything, since he was the soon-to-be head of the family at the time, why _wouldn't_ the head have everything?

Bakura folded the paper up and shoved it in his pocket. Marik, Odion and Ishizu would want to see that.

_But wait, if the father's will was here… where was the mother's? surely she had a will of her own…? _Bakura rummaged through the papers still next to the shredder, but found nothing. If there was a will, and Marik's father was as crazy as Odion had claimed, then he probably would have shredded it already.

Bakura sighed, _Maybe there's some stuff in the desk drawer? _Bakura yanked open the drawer, but sighed in frustration at the sight of only envelopes. Bakura's curiosity grew when he saw them all to be full.

He grabbed one, and flipped the back open. His shock grew so great, that he couldn't help but let out a startled squeak. Money. The whole envelope was filled with _money._ Bakura grabbed several other envelopes and opened them all. Sure enough, the envelopes were all filled with money. How much was even _in_ there? Most of them were twenties and fifties. Bakura couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

Marik's father was a rich man, a very rich man indeed. Bakura looked around for a bag of sorts that he could carry along with Marik's stuff. He then coincidentally saw a big black bag just laying there on the floor. He snatched it up and walked back to the drawer, shoving all the envelopes from the drawer into the bag.

Bakura then turned to the last drawer on the other side, and wrenched it open. There were only a few envelopes in there, which he checked just to make sure, and he shoved those in the bag too. There were other papers in there as well, but they didn't seem important, so he turned away from that.

One last glance around the room, and he slung the bag over his shoulder, and was on his way out the door. He latched it behind him, just as Odion had instructed. Bakura agreed that Marik and Ishizu probably shouldn't see that… It would just mean that they were tangled in a web of lies created by their father. That wouldn't go down too well, and it would surface memories that had been long forgotten; and he didn't want Marik to go through any type of pain caused by early childhood memories.

Bakura then continued on down the hallway, not a second glance at the previous room he had been in. He was quite looking forward to seeing Marik's room.

The hallway, however, had gotten even worse. There were boulders that looked like they had been shifted away, and there were even cones… probably due to the medical team rushing in… So… Marik was in his own room when all of this happened?

Bakura's face fell, it seemed that one's own room wasn't the safest place after all… Bakura squeezed past two big boulders that blocked his path; the bag fit through fine because there wasn't much in it, but he would have to be careful when he took Marik's things with him.

Bakura saw there was a plank moved aside right next to Marik's door frame. The door had been apparently kicked in, and the smell of smoke was stronger than anything he'd smelled before. As he entered, Bakura noticed a sliver of light shining through. When Bakura looked up, there, plain as day was a hole in the ceiling connected to the outside. It was sad really, when Bakura had first looked down from up above, he would have never guessed that it connected to Marik's room.

Even though it was an honest to gods mess, he couldn't help but realize that not much was displayed. It didn't even really look like Marik's room because it was so bare. When he had moved to Domino he had pictures hung up all around his room. Surely that was the same for here too? Bakura was sure he would have decorated his room immediately when he arrived. Apparently he was wrong, but then again, it seemed that they had just arrived when the plane came down on top of them. To Bakura, it really was unfair, but it _did_ however, make sense if someone was deliberately trying to hurt them… or kill them… but surely… what had they done to deserve that? To Bakura's knowledge, he didn't know of anyone who wanted to kill Marik and his family. That just seemed too brutal. Sure he did some wrong things in the past, but it wasn't too severe. No one died, no one was hurt…

Bakura shook his thoughts away, and surveyed the area. Despite all the rubble and rocks that had fallen, the room wasn't much. There was a dirty laptop laying on the ground, and there was a bag full of things sitting on Marik's so called 'bed'. Really, his bed was a stone slab with four blankets and a pillow. That surely isn't comfortable enough… but hey, if Marik didn't have a problem with it, then he probably wouldn't either.

When Bakura looked at the dresser, only one thing was on it. It looked like a picture frame, but it had fallen over, so Bakura didn't know what it was. As for the dresser itself, it was wooden, and looked light-weight. The drawers were open, as if someone was getting ready to put stuff in it. Bakura made his way over to the dresser, and set the black bag on the ground next to it. He quickly twisted his flashlight off, and pocketed it; seeing as how there was already light coming from the hole in the ceiling, he found no need to waste perfectly good batteries when he already had all the light he needed.

Bakura grabbed the laptop from the ground, and finding it still in good condition, he placed it carefully inside the black bag he had brought with him. He grabbed the picture off the dresser, too, to see what it was.

Bakura blinked, it was the picture he had given Marik when he had left Domino. He smiled a little, it was nice to think that this was the first thing Marik had set up in terms of decoration.

Bakura made an 'ah' noise in his head to pull him out of his thoughts. It seemed that when he was by himself, he had a tendency to talk to himself. He didn't have big enough pockets to put the picture in, so he stuffed it in the black bag too. In terms of things to gather, it was pretty simple. Marik still had all of his stuff in his traveling bag on his bed, so all Bakura had to do was place the pillow and blankets in the bag, zip it up, and carry it over to the other bag, which he grabbed as well.

Bakura didn't think Marik had taken anything outside of his room, like the living room. It was probably mostly Ishizu and Odion's stuff anyway.

Bakura dragged both of the bags down the hallway as best as he could, barely fitting through the gap between the two boulders he had to fit through when he made his way to Marik's room. As he entered the main living space, he took note that the room seemed a little brighter, and that it was a little cleaner. He also noticed that both Ishizu and Odion were nowhere to be found. Shame, he still wanted to see if they were alright with Marik's choice in relationship status. Well, it seemed that they were over their shock, and were fine, because they didn't try to kick him out of their home…

Bakura went up the steps and exited the tomb. Now, if he could get back to the hospital without dying, that would be great. His arms were full and already felt like falling off. Even after millennia of raiding tombs and making narrow escapes, it still didn't change the fact that the bags he was now carrying, were making his arms go numb.

* * *

Once he actually got to the hospital, he really honestly thought he wouldn't be able to use his arms anymore. By the time he was walking through the hallways, he was sprinting. He needed to set the bags down, or he really wouldn't be able to move them for quite a while.

He then grew a little worried about Marik, after all, he didn't say anything when he left… He had to rely on a nurse, and he still wasn't sure if that message was delivered. He remembered the last time he had left without telling Marik… he practically had a meltdown thinking that he was all alone, when all Bakura did was go to the store to get some beer. Speaking of, he hadn't had any for the longest time…

"Oh! Bakura! You're here." The nurse he had talked to this morning had said; she walked over to him with a smile.

"Uh…"

"Bakura, walk with me for a minute."

Bakura blinked. "Uh, sure…?"

The nurse dragged him over to the office desk so that he could drop off the stuff he was carrying, and then dragged him off, once again, down the hallway. She let go once he was following her.

"You want to talk to me?" Bakura guessed.

"Yes…" She said; her smile faded from her face, and a puzzled expression crossed her face.

"Is it about Marik?"

"Yes…"

Bakura pursed his lips, he sure didn't think anything was wrong with Marik. Besides the bumps he got from the plane landing on his home, he seemed perfectly normal… _Wait, does this hospital have a policy about gay relations? If it does, and this is what this is all about, I'm pulling Marik out of here and taking him back to Domino. _

He was about to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Bakura, when you caught me this morning, and asked me to deliver the message, I did… Once my rounds were finished," She began. Bakura's interest peaked then, so it wasn't about his sexuality…?

"I was about to enter, when I heard him muttering to himself," She paused in her stride, and turned to look at Bakura directly, a worried glint in her eye. Bakura had a bad feeling about this. If a cheerful person suddenly grows worried, something must be seriously wrong.

"What is it?" Bakura urged.

"Well," She started, "Firstly, he was calling for you. When I entered the room, he was literally tossing and turning on the bed." Her brows furrowed momentarily, "He wasn't in any danger that I could see, but it sure did seem odd… It looked like… well, like he was fighting something inside him." She then turned to look up into his eyes, "And I was wondering if you knew anything. I wanted to see if there was something we didn't know about him that might have caused his strange behavior…"

"Oh…" was all Bakura could say. He'd never heard anything like that ever happening. What mostly concerned him is how the nurse found tossing and turning odd, but she _did _mention that he looked like he was fighting something…

"Was there anything else that happened?" Bakura asked.

Her eyes switched to the floor, and Bakura could immediately tell she was uncomfortable talking about this subject.

"Well… this is the part that confuses me," she started; she seemed to be playing footsy with herself, now. He could tell she was avoiding his gaze. "Marik, he seems to refer to himself in third person sometimes."

Bakura raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Can you give me an example?"

"Well, he said something like, 'Marik, you're useless and you can't even protect yourself from something as simple as smoke'"

Bakura tilted his head to the side, "How long has this been going on?"

"Well," She started. It took herself a few seconds to phrase what she wanted to say. She didn't seem too ecstatic about saying anything. "Bakura, right about now, he's…" she trailed off.

"There's something wrong?"

The nurse sighed, "As of right now, he's just panicked. He's been calling out for you, but I wanted to talk to you about it because I wasn't sure if he was… safe, at the moment."

Now this really struck Bakura as odd. "Safe? Why wouldn't he be safe?"

She looked up with her big brown eyes. "You ever get the feeling that something just isn't right?" she asked.

"Yes, sometimes," _when Mariku was around…_

"Well, that's what I get when I'm around him. I mean, I've been around him plenty, and he was so nice to me. He didn't even snap at me when he first came in and I accidentally bumped his bad wrist."

"Your point?"

"Well, Bakura, he just seems different. The way he acts is now completely off. He snaps at anyone who tries to help him, and in some rare moments, he calls for you like you're the only person in the world…"

Bakura's eyes grew wide, he'd never heard of Marik acting that way before. Different… what was different about Marik that not everyone would understand? If a nurse only _felt_ something wrong, it wasn't something you could exactly report.

"What did you say your name was?"

She stood there for a moment, rather caught off guard by the sudden question, nevertheless she answered, "Takara, why?"

"Hmmm," he thought. "I think I'd like to go see what all of this is about. I'd also like you to come with me."

"Why!?" She exclaimed, "I mean, you won't need me, so what's the point?"

"Why are you so against it, Takara?"

"Wh-" She stopped herself, "I'm not… well, I mean…" She then gave a confused expression.

"I need you there, because you seem to know what might be going on better than anyone else would." Bakura stated. He told himself that the only reason he was inviting Takara along with him was because he didn't know anything in the medical field. But there was still a sliver of understanding deep inside him that he couldn't surface. He didn't even realize the remarkable similarity of looks between Takara and him.

He grabbed her wrist and they both sprinted to Marik's room. Room 223. There was some noises on the other side of the door. Bakura was about to open the door when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"No, please…" Takara pleaded, "I don't want to go in there."

"Why not?"

"Like I said, he's different, and I don't like… the way he is."

"The way he is?"

She thought for a moment, trying to find a way to describe how she felt, "His aura. I don't like the aura around him. It seems different. And scary."

Bakura blinked, and instead of going in, he pressed his ear to the door to listen in.

"Get off me you bastards! There's no need to hold this useless body down! If you wish, I can always kill you instead!"

There was an inaudible statement, and then quiet fell for a few minutes. Then Marik's voice sounded again.

"I think he's here. That Bakura," Then, it seemed Marik was talking directly to him through the door, like he knew he was standing there listening.

"Bakura, you know what's going on. I thought you would have guessed what was going on from what poor Marik had said. He's frightened, Bakura. Oh so frightened. He's giving me a real headache calling for you. I'd really like it if you could make it stop. It's a real pain to have to deal with."

Bakura's head shot away from the door in fear. He knew what was bugging Takara now. Not only was Marik's aura different, it was a different aura all together.

"Takara, I'd like you to stay here in the doorway. Don't come in." He said whilst looking directly into her eyes. For an instant he felt a surge of protectiveness, but he didn't know why.

She merely nodded, and took a step back.

Bakura braced himself, before he slowly turned the handle. He noticed that there was only silence that engulfed the room. When he entered, he didn't expect to see what he was seeing.

All of the nurses and doctors were sitting, shivering in a corner, looking away from Marik. Meanwhile, Marik was sitting up in his bed, examining his nails.

Bakura walked up to the foot of Marik's bed; he could feel Takara staring intently at him, wondering what he was going to do in this situation. The doctors and nurses in the corner looked up at him. Bakura turned to them, and signaled to them that it was safe to exit.

They quickly exited, but they still stood by the door next to Takara. Takara still stood in the front, though. Once everyone was safely out of the room, he turned his attention back to the person lying in front of him.

"Mariku," he addressed.

"Bakura," Mariku addressed back.

"Mariku, what is it you want? How did you even get here?"

"I've wanted what I've always wanted, Bakura. To make Marik suffer. As for how I got here, since you took a little stroll of your own, I thought it would be nice to get up and stretch a little."

Bakura growled at this, "Marik never did anything to deserve this."

"On the contrary, my dear Bakura, he likes to push me away and act like I never existed. He likes to taunt me, having a body of his own seemed so great until I came and ruined it all for him. I'm glad I can ruin certain things for him, but it isn't the same when it's not physical."

Bakura frowned, "Where is he now?"

"Where he always is when I'm around," Mariku commented; he raised his hand and pointed towards his head.

Bakura felt a strike of sadness race through him. Mariku was supposed to be gone, to the Shadow Realm. So, why was he back?

"Mariku, weren't you visiting the Shadow Realm?"

Mariku threw back his head and gave a maniacal laugh. "Oh yes, I had a lovely visit, but an old friend wanted me to come back."

"An old friend?"

"Oh Bakura, I don't think you'd know him. I may not know everyone that you run into, but I'm pretty sure you haven't met him. Or, the _real_ him."

Bakura's eyes narrowed, "And who might this someone be?"

"Well," Mariku began, a huge smirk showing on his face, "He has many names, but for now… Well, I don't know where he is now, but he's certainly something."

"Just tell me!" Bakura snarled.

"Temper temper. Bakura, watch yourself." Mariku scolded, "He goes by many names, like I've said," Mariku continued, "As for what name he goes under now? It might be something recent… Oh, I don't know." Mariku growled.

"Why don't you know?"

"It doesn't matter, Bakura."

There was a moment of silence before Mariku spoke up again.

"Actually, I think I remember," Mariku said whilst smirking. "His name, I believe, was-" Mariku was cut off by a sudden chill sent through his body. "B-Bakura…" came a weak voice.

Bakura's eyes widened, It was Marik. He moved to Marik's bedside, and gripped his hand. "Marik," he spoke.

Life seemed to flood into Marik's eyes. "It's working Bakura," Marik said, his voice a little stronger.

Now Bakura was confused, _what on earth is he saying?_

"What do you mean, Marik," he whispered.

"I mean, I was right. You're the only one who can chase him away like I thought,"

"Marik…?"

"Bakura, you're the only one who can push Mariku away."

Bakura's brown eyes sparkled with happiness and relief. "Marik…" Bakura wanted the moment to last, but there was a question still nagging at him. "Marik," he began, "Did you know what Mariku was going to say?"

Marik blinked up into his eyes; they were wide in innocence. "Um, I think so…"

"What was it? There was a name, I think…" Bakura urged.

Marik blinked, and was silent a moment. "Bakura, I have a feeling this might make a big impact on both you, and everyone else."

Bakura looked looked into his eyes for a moment longer, before he looked back at the doorway. Everyone was bug-eyed at the events. They were all curious as to what happened, and a little frightened. All were frightened except one. Takara.

"Takara, can you come in, but shut the door behind you?"

Takara blinked, "Me?"

When Bakura nodded, she sighed, and did as she was told.

Marik looked up at Bakura, "You've met Takara?"

"Yes, but Marik, please… the name?"

"Right," Marik could sense the urgency in Bakura's voice. "The name, or at least the name that Mariku was about to say… was Satoshi Futou…"

* * *

**AND BOOM. :D I know this was a long chapter, so sorry about that. I really wanted you to get the feel of what Marik's tomb house, thingy was like. Or at least, how I imagined it to be.  
SO- who do you think Takara is? Any guesses? :3 **

**Also, I have big plans for this story, and I've recently decided that there will be a sequel to this story :D What do you think of THAT? Hope that comes good :3 **

**Please review! And I'd like to hear some of your ideas of what else I could put into this story as an extra event or something… like, a little event that you'd like to see happen. I'm very open to all of your wonderful ideas.  
Again, apologies for the length of this chapter, but I should be able to get all of this story done this summer as well as my other adventure story :3**

******Takara's name basically means treasure in Japanese ^^******


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